Box Score ATLANTA, Ga. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) women's basketball team wrapped up a 10-day, 3-game road trip with a heart-pounding 56-53 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) road victory versus the Clark Atlanta University (CAU) Lady Panthers at Epps Gymnasium on Monday evening.

Junior Badger center Leah Washington got things started on the inside with a layup off an assist by guard Jewel Hill just 22 seconds into the game and then added a jumper at 8:37 to put the Lady Panthers (5-12, 3-4 SIAC East) in an early 4-0 hole. Both teams struggled with turnovers against stiff defensive pressure in the first quarter as SHC scraped out an 8-3 lead with one minute left in the period.

The offense picked up in the second period as the Badgers held a 12-11 advantage with 6 minutes left on the first half clock, but a jumper by Siera Bubb of CAU gave the home team their first lead of the night at 13-12 with 5:40 to go in the period. Sophomore guard Jennifer Clark answered right back with a 3-point bucket a minute later as SHC reclaimed a 15-13 advantage.

Bubb would convert on another jumper to tie the game at 15 apiece, but SHC found guard Alishia DraytonLewis underneath for two and junior forward Brittney Davis found two more off a jumper to hand the Badgers back a 19-15 lead with under three minutes until intermission.

SHC came into the 3rd period with a 25-17 lead and expanded the bulge to 32-21 five minutes later, but saw the lead dwindle to 43-38 with 7:45 left in the game as Bubb put a layup through the net. Bubb then gave CAU the 49-48 lead with a jumper at 2:44, but Drayton-Lewis answered with a put-back bucket off a missed free throw on the other end to reclaim the 52-51 Badger lead with 2:09 to play.

Washington connected on a layup to build a 54-51 Badger margin at 43 seconds left, but two free throws by Mykala Jones of CAU made it 54-53 with 29 seconds to play. With 10 seconds left, Clark coolly drained two free throws and Jones would miss a final 3-point attempt at the buzzer as SHC held on for the win.

"It was an ugly win, but anytime you can get a win on the road it's a good win," said SHC head coach Karen McConico after the game. "We didn't start our road swing on the right foot, but but it's not about how you start, but how how you finish."

Washington paced the SHC effort with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Badgers shot 41.8% (23-55) from the field and 25% (3-12) from 3-point distance. DraytonLewis and Clark each added 10 points. SHC dominated rebounding by a 43-24 margin, but suffered 28 turnovers against 10 steals by the Lady Panthers.

For CAU, Bubb and Jones each scored 16 points as the Lady Panthers shot 42.6% (23-54) from the floor, but failed to convert any of their five 3-point attempts. CAU turned the ball over 18 times as SHC took away eight steals.

The Badgers (6-11, 4-4 SIAC West) will return home on Saturday afternoon when they host the Stillman College Lady Tigers (5-8, 2-4 SIAC West) in an SIAC West Division match at 2 o'clock in the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.