LAGRANGE, Ga. - LC Women's Basketball (9-8, 3-5 Collegiate Conference of the South) suffered a tough loss Wednesday night (Jan. 29), falling to Belhaven University (8-9, 5-4 CCS) in overtime by a final score of 80-72.

Game Summary
The Panthers found themselves in a tight battle right away, leading by one after the first five minutes had eclipsed in the contest. After falling behind by three late in the opening quarter, the Panthers were able to cash in from the charity stripe to regain their advantage as they led 14-13 at the end of one.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the second quarter, as LC went down 25-20 late. Thanks to a pair of clutch three's from Laila Battle and Britney Chavez, however, LC trimmed the deficit down to one as Belhaven held a 27-26 lead at the half.

The Blazers continued to apply the pressure in the third quarter, frustrating the Panther attack who worked tirelessly to find sustainable consistency. They would eventually find it in the beginning of the fourth, as they opened the final frame with a 13-6 run to give them a four-point lead with under five minutes remaining.

The Panthers' late game struggles continued, falling behind 58-55 with just 13 seconds left. Refusing to let her team go down, Annika Bonds heroically nailed a three-point shot to tie the game at 58-58 and force an overtime period.

Unfortunately for LC, overtime was all-Belhaven as they racked up 22 points in the five-minute period to survive the host Panthers' late rally and win 80-72.

Panther of the Game
Laila Battle led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points. The Smyrna, Ga native also tacked on three rebounds, three assists and a block to her ledger as well.

Up Next
The Panthers will be back in action when they take on Wesleyan College on Feb. 4 in Mariotti Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with links for streaming and live stats that can be found by clicking here.