Furious rally falls just short for women's basketball in AAC opener

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - Union got the look it wanted at a potential game-winning shot, but just couldn't get a friendly roll.

After crawling back withing two after trailing by 13 points with less than four minutes to play, LeAsia Linton got an open look at a 3-pointer with 17 seconds to play, but her shot rimmed off and eventually rolled out of bounds, as Reinhardt closed out a hard-fought 63-59 win in Barbourville Wednesday night.

Things looked grim with 3:54 to play, as a free throw gave the Eagles a 57-44 lead. But a swarming Bulldog defense, which forced six turnovers while holding Reinhardt to 3-of-15 shooting in the final period, helped them storm back with a 13-2 run. And after a McKenzi Himes layup and a stop, Union got the ball trailing just 59-57.

Playing with a hot hand all night, Linton, who led all scorers with 27 points, made a step towards the paint and after a defender fell down, stepped back for a clean look at a go-ahead basket. But unfortunately, this shot wouldn't fall and after a scrum forced the ball out of bounds to Reinhardt, the Eagles pulled back ahead by four on a pair of Harrah Gibson free throws.

Linton would find Himes, who was second on the team with 11 points, for a layup on the other end, but Reinhardt again got fouled and Avanna Preston connected on two free throws with two seconds to play to ice the game.

The fourth quarter wasn't the only one the Bulldogs dominated as they jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first period and held a 33-30 lead at the half. But the third quarter was an outright disaster, with the Eagles holding Union to 1-of-11 shooting while being plus-five in the turnover battle on their way to a 21-5 scoring edge.

Union also struggled from behind the 3-point line, hitting just 3-of-21 attempts.

Raigan King had eight points and a team-best six rebounds off the bench, while Gracie Jervis led Union with four assists.

NEXT UP FOR THE BULLDOGS

Union heads to North Carolina this Saturday to take on AAC foe Montreat at 2 p.m.