Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky State University Thorobrettes dropped both of their games this past weekend at the Bellarmine Classic held in Louisville, Ky.
In the first game of the Bellarmine Classic the Thorobrettes faced the Nova Southeastern Sharks (4-0), who entered the tournament ranked #5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, on Saturday afternoon.
KSU kept pace Nova Southeastern early, holding the lead with under 15 minutes left in the first half after LaShell West hit a 3-point shot to put Kentucky State ahead, 6-5.
From there however the Thorobrettes struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting just 23.3% from the floor over the course of the game. The Sharks, in contrast, shot over 48% from the floor on their way to an 81-56 victory.
West led the Thorobrettes putting up a team high 15 points while also pulling down nine rebounds. West is the leading scorer for KSU this season averaging 14.2 points per game.
On the second day of the tournament Kentucky State (2-3) faced off against host Bellarmine University (2-2). The Thorobrettes overcame an onslaught by the Knights in the first half but ultimately fell, 91-79.
The Thorobrettes came out of the gate slowly, getting outscored by Bellarmine 56-35 in the first half.
In the second half KSU found its rhythm but fell just short of an upset victory. After falling behind by 23 points with 18:55 left in the second half, the Thorobrettes fought back numerous times cutting the Knights lead to just 10 points during the second half.
Brieona Warner scored a team high 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Bellarmine. Warner is averaging 9.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
"Obviously you always want to come away from a game with a victory but there are some positives that we can pull from this weekend," Head Coach Serena King-Coleman said. "To be able to play against this level of competition early in the season will only help us moving forward."
West was named to the Bellarmine Classic All-Classic Team after averaging 14 points, 6.5 rebounds and two assists per game. The All-Classic team also included Sarah DeShone of Ferris State who averaged 21 points, Nova Southeastern's Jessica Russi who dished out 20 total assists, Bellarmine's Mercedes Cox who averaged 10 points and four rebounds and Bellarmine's Darion Hutchinson who earned MVP of the Bellarmine Classic after averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Next up for Kentucky State is a road trip to West Virginia State and Bluefield State in West Virginia. The Thorobrettes will face WVSU on Nov. 30th and Bluefield on Dec. 1st.
