MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Sophomore Faith Johnson scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Spring Arbor University women's basketball team to a 79-73 win at Bethel College on Saturday.
Johnson scored eight of those points in the final quarter to help the Cougars hold off a furious comeback by the Pilots, and secure the team's 10th victory of the season.
Along with Johnson, junior Kylie Townsley and sophomore Autumn Goggin also finished in double figures. Townsley added 19 points and six rebounds while Goggin chipped in 11 points and seven boards.
"Anytime you win on the road in this league it's a great win," said head coach Ryan Frost. "Faith really stepped up and shot the ball well for us. Kylie and Autumn also had solid games on both ends of the floor."
After falling behind 7-4 midway through the first quarter, Spring Arbor got hot from behind the arc and used three-pointers from Johnson, Goggin and Aimee Konkel to help build a 16-9 lead. The Cougars continued to shoot the ball well in the second period as well, knocking down their first three attempts to increase the margin to double digits.
Spring Arbor took a 15-point advantage into halftime, 40-25, and would lead by as many as 20 in the third quarter. However, Bethel (7-13, 2-6 CL), would begin to battle its way back.
Trailing 65-46 with 8:49 remaining in the game, the Pilots used a 10-2 run to close the gap to 11 with just under six minutes on the clock.
Bethel cut the deficit to single digits with 1:26 to play, but SAU would sink enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the late charge.
Spring Arbor shot 47 percent (26-for-55) from the field for the game while holding Bethel to 39 percent (24-for-61). SAU also held a 38-34 advantage on the glass.
The Cougars (10-10, 2-6 CL) will return home to host No. 22 Huntington University (14-6, 4-4 CL) on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.
Women's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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