MIDWAY, Ky. -- Following a week off after a tough road win over IU Kokomo, the Midway University women's basketball team put their five-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday night when they hosted Brescia (Ky.) inside Marshall Gymnasium.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, they saw their five-game win streak come to an end after suffering a 76-74 loss to the Bearcats. With just .8 seconds remaining in regulation, Cassidy Moss calmly toed the free throw line and sank two freebies to seal the win for the visitors.
The Eagles were in a similar situation earlier this year when they made the trip to Brescia on Dec. 14. Riding a then nine-game winning streak, the Bearcats defeated the Eagles by a final score of 62-59 as they handed Midway just their second defeat of the season at the time.
Following the loss, the Eagles fall to 19-6 overall and 8-5 in River States Conference play. Their once two-game lead has now shrunk to just one over IU Southeast where the Eagles will be traveling to on Saturday with the RSC West Division on the line.
Tuesday night was a tough night on both ends of the court for Alan Foster's squad. Midway shot just 37.7 percent from the floor overall, while going 5-of-20 from three.
Brescia – who improved to 9-19 overall and 5-9 league play with the win – finished the night shooting 47.3 percent overall and 36.4 percent from three where they hit 4-of-11. The Bearcats also hit 20-of-23 from the foul line whereas Midway was 17-of-23.
The Bearcats led by as many six in the opening stanza, but Midway seemed to find their footing after they built an 11-point lead following a 14-0 run early in the second period. Brescia, however, rallied cutting the lead to 42-36 at intermission.
A pair of threes from Kindall Talley (Frankfort, Ky.) and Jill Enix (Pineville, Ky.) followed by a layup from Leisa Butler (Spring Hill, Tenn.) kickstarted an 8-2 run to open the third quarter as Midway built their largest lead of the contest at 50-38.
When it looked like Midway might run away with it, the Bearcats came crawling back. Holding an 11-point advantage, the Eagles were held to just four points over the final 4:46 allowing Brescia to get back into the game. The Bearcats closed the quarter on a 13-4 run as Midway's lead dwindled to 60-58 entering the final frame.
Back-to-back 3's from Princess Holloway and Cassidy Moss saw the Bearcats take a 67-62 lead with 5:22 remaining. With things not going their way, Midway tied the game three times in the final two minutes but were unable to regain the lead as Brescia held on for the 76-74 victory.
Leading the way for the Eagles was Leisa Butler who scored a game-high 28 points going 12-of-18 from the floor, while also grabbing six rebounds. Kindall Talley added 13 points, while Jill Enix chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Before making the trip to New Albany, Ind. for their showdown with IU Southeast, the Eagles will host Wright-State Lake (Ohio) on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.
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