GALESBURG — The Carl Sandburg College women’s basketball team nearly climbed out of a big second-half hole but fell to Lincoln 75-64 on Saturday afternoon at John M. Lewis Gymnasium.
The Chargers (7-10) dropped their second straight despite sophomore guard Alivia Cummings (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) posting her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 10 rebounds.
Tied at 24 in the first half, the Lynx (15-1) went on a 21-point run, scoring the last nine of the first half and first 12 of the third quarter for their largest lead of the night. The Chargers, though, didn’t get away, using a 10-0 run capped by a Morgan Kirby (Fairmount, Ill./Salt Fork) 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter to get within 57-49.
Sandburg closed within 64-59 on a Danayzia Stuckey (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) trey, but Lincoln scored six of the next seven to regain a double-digit lead with 2:22 to go.
“We just dug ourselves too big of a hole, and it was uphill the rest of the way for us,” Chargers coach Mike Bailey said. “If we could clean up the end of the first half and start of the second, things might’ve gone a little differently for us.”
Cummings added four steals as part of her career night. Madison Lowe (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap) had 11 points and six rebounds for the Chargers, and Willow Porter (Wyoming, Ill./Stark County) added 11 points and five boards.
Lincoln’s Erynn Young had game highs of 27 points and 20 rebounds.
The Chargers will return to Arrowhead Conference play by facing rival Black Hawk at home at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the opening game of a men’s/women’s doubleheader. Tuesday’s game is also the Chargers’ Pink Night to raise money for cancer awareness.
