Despite a slow start to Tuesday's contest against LSU-Eunice on Day 2 of the 2024 Southwest Coca-Cola Classic, the Lady Bears got into a groove and rode out that momentum to the tune of a 73-52 win over the Lady Bengals.
"We were trying to go inside as much as we can," Southwest head coach Brent Harris said. "We did a pretty good job of that. We tried to have poise against their pressure and they do a good job of that. When we stayed in character we didn't get undisciplined."
The Lady Bears (6-0) had trouble early on as the Lady Bengals got into rhythm. Trailing 13-6, Southwest turned things around. An 8-0 run highlighted by three points from Kara Beth Addison gave the Lady Bears their first lead at 14-13.
"I think that it is the mindset," said Addison who led the Lady Bears with 20 points. "We rally and pull together and that is something that we are really good at."
The rally helped Southwest build upon that lead growing it to as much as six with 1:27 to go in the opening quarter following an offensive rebound and put-back by Moosie Walls.
Southwest closed the first quarter on an 18-10 run and took a 24-23 lead.
Things began clicking more for the Lady Bears in the second. Aggressive play from Shanell Celestine and Bethany Graves highlighted the period as they combined to score 10 of Southwest's 19 points in the quarter as the Lady Bears took a 43-33 lead at the half.
Strong offensive play continued in the third quarter, but this time it came from long-range. Two 3-pointers from Mookie Lampley and another from Gracie Miller helped lead the charge but the Southwest defense took center-stage, limiting Eunice to eight points helping keep the hosts ahead.
Leading 57-41 heading into the fourth, the Lady Bears got another strong showing from Addison who led the way with seven points as Southwest secured the win. In addition to Addison's big night, the Lady Bears also got double-digit scoring from Graves who had 14 points and Miller who had 11.
The Lady Bears return to action on Monday Dec. 2 once again against the Lady Bengals however it will be at their gym in Eunice, LA.
