HICKORY, N.C.-- In their last game of 2024, The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Basketball lead wire-to-wire in a dominant 82-55 win over King (Tn.). Tilda Lindstroem had her second double-double of the season, finishing wtih 15 points and eleven rebounds. In addition to her offensive output, Lindstroem was a force on the defensive end, tying her career high with five blocks. Blaikley Crooks and Sarah Burton joined Lindstroem as joint leading scorers with 15 points each.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 82, King 55
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 5-7 (3-5 SAC), King 5-7 (3-2 Conference Carolinas)
Location: Hickory, NC | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE GAME:

• Sarah Burton capped off a 14-0 run in the first quarter with a three pointer at the buzzer as LR took a 26-9 lead into the second period. 
• Lenoir-Rhyne extended their lead to 45-22 at halftime after hitting 5 of 8 three pointers in the second quarter. 
• Alexandra Merceron scored eight points in the third quarter helping the Bears take a 63-39 lead into the final frame. 
• Abby Wrede and Jayda Glass each hit late threes as the Bears took this one by 27. 

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Tilda Lindstroem scored all fifteen of her points in the first half. 
• LR hit a season high 12 three-pointers with Sarah Burton knocking down four of her five attempts.
• Burton's 15 points were a season high for the sophomore. 
• King did have 16 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for the Bears, however LR held a 37-32 advantage on the boards. 
• The Bears assisted on 24 of their 30 buckets, led by six from Alexander Merceron.
• The Bears shot an efficient 30-53 (56.5%) from the field and 12-26 (46.2%) from three. 
• King was just 22-67 (32.8%) from the field and 4-15 (26.7%) from behind the arc.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• This is the third straight year these teams have met in non-conference with the Bears winning all three. LR has averaged 84.3 points in these three games. 
• Lindstroem passed the 300 career rebound mark with her eleven rebound day. 
• Lindstroem's double-double was her 7th career double-double. 
• Blaikley Crooks now has 200 assists on her career.
• Crooks also sits a 1399 points after 15 points today and with one more point Crooks will be the 9th player to score 1400 points in program history. 

UP NEXT: The Bears will open the 2025 calendar year with a home date against Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, January 4th.  LMU went on the holiday break today with a lost to Wingate, moving the Railsplitters to a 4-7 record and an identical 3-5 SAC record as the Bears. Tip-off from Shuford Arena is scheduled for 2:00 PM.