Box Score CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Senior guard Morgan Arden (Hanover, Pa./Spring Grove) banked in a jumper with two seconds remaining in regulation to lift Shepherd University (15-14) to a 76-74 win over Concord (13-16) in first round action of MEC Women's Basketball Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center on Wednesday.
Arden led the Rams with 21 points. She connected on 7-of-25 field goals with a 2-of-5 effort from three-point range. She was 5-of-5 from the line. She added four rebounds and four assists.
Freshman forward Sydney Clayton (Frederick, Md./St. John's) posted her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Kayla Tibbs (Leesburg, Va./Heritage/Glenville State) added 13 points. Junior forward Liz Moormann (New Market, Md./Oakdale) tossed in 11 points off the bench, while junior guard Kari Lankford (York, Pa./West York Area) added six points, five rebounds, and a game-high nine assists.
Riley Fitzwater had 23 points, 19 rebounds, and six blocked shots to lead the Mountain Lions. Andreanna Pool added 11 points, while Heather Chapman added 10 points and four assists.
Concord took a 38-37 lead into the break as Shepherd was held scoreless for the final 2:20 of the first half. Fitzwater led the Mountain Lions with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the first half.
Shepherd used an 8-0 run in the final 34 seconds to rally for the victory. Arden hit a jumper with 34 seconds left to cut the lead to 74-70. She drained a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to trim the lead to 74-73. Moormann hit 1-of-2 free throws with 26 seconds left to tie the game and set the stage for Arden's game-winner.
Shepherd shot 37.8 percent (28-74) from the floor with a 31.3 percent effort (5-16) from three-point range for the game. The Rams drained 83.3 percent (15-18) of their free throws.
Concord hit on 46 percent (29-63) from the floor with a 35.3 percent (6-17) performance from beyond the arc. The Mountain Lions connected on 50 percent (10-20) of their free throws.
Concord had a 48-40 advantage on the boards. The Rams forced 16 turnovers and committed six.
The Rams advance to the tournament quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Thursday against top-seeded Glenville State.
Notes: Arden now has 634 points on the season to break the old Shepherd single-season mark of 615 set by Sherry Price in 1985-86 … Arden has scored 96 points (32.0 average) in three games against Concord this season … she has scored 20 points or more in 19 games this season .. Shepherd has won 4 of its last 5 games.
Video of Arden's Game-Winning Shot
Shepherd Postgame Press Conference
Watch Game Replay
