Another huge 4th Q for UHSP, but they fall in OT

On Saturday afternoon, the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy took on the Freed-Hardmen Lions in their second game of the season. After winning their season opener against Bethel on Friday, the Eutectics were going looking for a 2-0 start to the season if they could find a way to upset the preseason 20^th-ranked team in the NAIA.

It was a back-and-forth first quarter and the Purple and Gold took a 15-13 lead with 3:42 left on a couple of Grace Beyer free throws. The Lions though closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to lead 19-15 after one. Beyer scored nine out of the fifteen Eutectics points in the opening period. A minute into the second quarter, Freed-Hardmen took a six-point lead after a KJ White layup. The Eutectics then got a huge lift from a key returner. Samantha Matthews missed nearly all of last season with an injury, but was expected to be able to shoulder some of the scoring load this year. The senior drilled three triples in the span of 90-seconds to dig the Eutectics out of that hole and tie the game at 24-24. Elizabeth Allanach knocked down another three to put UHSP on top at 27-24 with 5:53 remaining. The Eutectics gave up another huge run by FHU to close the half though as the Lions outscored the women from St. Louis 15-4 the rest of the way to lead 39-31 at recess.

The Eutectics spent the third quarter trying to chase down the Lions and try as they might, when the quarter ended, FHU had widened the margin. Newcomer Payten Foster had a layup to cut the deficit to six at 41-35 just two minutes into the quarter. Brooklyn Crouch and Matthews traded threes, but the Lions outscored UHSP 10-2 over the final 7:13 to lead 54-40 heading to the final quarter as the Euts scored just nine points in the quarter.

The Eutectics were in need of a repeat of the fourth quarter they had just 17 hours earlier when they outscored Bethel 28-13 in the final quarter to sneak out with a 77-69 season opening win. Against FHU, Emily Coleman hit a three-pointer just 20-seconds in to open the scoring. It was the start of a 25-point quarter as the Eutectics managed to erase that 14-point deficit and tie the game at 65-65 at the end of regulation. After Alaina Stiles made a layup to give the Lions a 15-point advantage at 58-43, UHSP took off on a 15-2 sprint that Coleman capped with another three to make it a 2-point game at 60-58. Allanach connected on a pair from deep in that run and Coleman added another as the Euts hit five three-pointers in the quarter and were 14-of-29 from perimeter for the game. Grace Beyer needed two free-throws with :02 left to tie the game at 65-all and send it to overtime.

In the extra session, it was Matthews again that hit from deep to make it 71-70 Lions nearly halfway through the overtime. An 8-0 run though by Freed-Hardeman would all but put the game away as the Euts went scoreless for 1:55 and the Lions went on to win, 80-72.

Grace Beyer led the Eutectics with 28-points, four rebounds and five assists and went 13-of-14 from the foul line. Samantha Matthews finished with 18-points and was 6-of-8 from three. Elizabeth Allanach had 12-points and five rebounds. Emily Coleman added nine points and connected on 3-of-5 from perimeter. Carissa Curtis came off the bench to lead FHU with 18-points and Kaylee Odom added 17-points. The Lions unloaded 22 more shot attempts than UHSP going 32-for-63 compared to 21-of-41. Part of the disparity was FHU outrebounding UHSP 28-20 while the Eutectics had 17 turnovers to just eight for the Lions. Freed-Hardeman dominated in the paint outscoring the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy 44-8 inside.

Head Coach Jeff Reis and his crew play a pair of road games each of the next two weekends as they battle Baker and Benedictine this coming Friday and Saturday in Kansas. The weekend after that, it is a return trip to the Sunflower State when the Euts face Tabor and Bethany on Nov. 10 and 11 respectively. UHSP's first home game does not come until Dec. 9 against Midway.