Box Score ATLANTA, Ga. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) women's basketball team won a squeaker of an outcome over the Lady Panthers of Clark Atlanta University by a final 78-76 score in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) game on Saturday evening at Epps Gymnasium.

Junior guard Natalie Harper opened the game with a hot hand from the outside making three consecutive 3-point buckets to stake SHC to a quick 17-8 lead over the Lady Panthers (6-7, 3-4 SIAC East) just six minutes into the contest.

Guards senior Elissa VandeWaa and freshman Jennifer Clark also hit from 3-point land as Badger sharpshooting made it a 22-14 SHC advantage with 9:21 to go until halftime. At 6:42, Mykala Jones of the Lady Panthers tied the game at 26-26 with a 3-point play off a steal and a hoop-and-the-harm on the other end of the court, but sophomore forward Alishia Drayton put the Badgers back up 28-26 with a layup during the next trip up the court via an assist by Clark.

CAU would carry a 39-37 lead into the intermission despite SHC holding the advantage for over 15 minutes of the 1st half as Sydni Davis of CAU connected for two points with 47 seconds on the clock.

Four minutes into the 2nd period a VandeWaa layup tied the score at 42-42 as both teams clamped down on defense to open the half. At the 10 minute mark, the Badgers were clinging to a 53-52 lead when Harper struck again from 3-point land and SHC went up by a 56-52 margin.

For the next, five minutes the Badgers maintained a 3- to 5-point cushion over the Lady Panthers, but two VandeWaa free throws at 4:40 stretched it to a 66-60 SHC lead. Three CAU free throws and a successful jumper by Jones pulled the home team to within 66-65 at 3:43, but it was then sophomore guard Amee Smith's turn to respond for Spring Hill as she connected on a layup and a jumper with the trailing free throw to put SHC back up 71-67 at 2:30.

The Badgers missed three consecutive free throws between the 45 and 25 seconds marks as CAU clawed to within two points at 74-72 with 24 seconds remaining. In the end, three more free throws by VandeWaa along with another by sophomore center Leah Washington proved to out duel four consecutive free throws by the Lady Panthers' Brandie Robertson and a final missed jumper by Jones at the buzzer for the 78-76 Badger victory.

VandeWaa scored a personal season-high of 20 points for the Badgers as Harper hit five 3-pointers for 15 points and Washington dropped in 12 points with seven rebounds. As a team, Spring Hill shot 37.1% (26-70) from the field and 42.3% (11-26) in 3-point attempts while also winning the rebound battle 44-42. SHC limited itself to 15 turnovers against eight steals by CAU.

The Lady Panthers were 45.3% (24-53) from the floor, making 25% (1-4) from long distance. CAU lost 18 turnovers to seven Badgers steals. Jones contributed 23 points to the CAU cause to lead all scorers in the game.

Spring Hill (7-7, 4-2 SIAC West) returns home for a Monday divisional game versus the Miles College Lady Golden Bears (2-8, 1-4 SIAC West) beginning at 6 p.m. at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.