FORT SMITH – UAFS sophomore guards Micayla Haynes and Alexsis Brown combined to score 40 points against Drury on Friday night, but that wasn’t enough for the Lady Lions, who lost 86-77 to the No. 11 Lady Panthers in the Ramada Oasis Convention Center/Drury Thanksgiving Classic.
The Lady Lions (3-3) will play Missouri S&T at 7:45 p.m. on their classic finale on Saturday at the O’Reilly Family Center in Springfield, Mo.
UAFS shot 48 percent from the field (30 of 62) – it was 7-of-15 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 91 percent from the free-throw line (10 of 11). Haynes scored a career-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the Lady Lions, while Brown had 16 points.
The Lady Lions were out-rebounded by seven rebounds (37-30). Senior forward Tayla Taylor had a team-high eight rebounds.
Drury (4-1) shot 52 percent from the field (34 of 65) – it was 5-of-14 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 77 percent from the free-throw line (13 of 17). Alice Heinzler had 15 points, while Heather Harmon, Lucia Fernandez and Hailey Diestelkamp had 14 points apiece.
Diestelkamp topped off her double-double with 12 rebounds.
UAFS led 23-20 after the first quarter, but Drury outscored the UAFS by five points in the second quarter to take a 41-39 halftime lead.
WOMEN
NO. 11 DRURY 86, UAFS 77
UAFS 23 16 17 21 — 77
Drury 20 21 20 25 — 86
UAFS (3-3): Haynes 24, A. Brown 16, D. Brown 8, Elkins 6, Taylor 6, Lehne 5, Green 5, Gulley 4, Williams 3
Drury (4-1): Heinzler 15, Harman 14, Fernandez 14, Diestelkamp 14, Bernard 8, Richards 8, Parker 5, Lynch 4, Vaught 2, Shipley 2