Leading 36-33 at halftime, the Belmont Abbey women's basketball team outscored Erskine 60-53 in the second half as five Lady Crusaders reached double figures in a 96-86 win on the road this evening. The Abbey remains unbeaten in Conference Carolinas at 3-0 and halts a two game losing streak as it improves to 5-3 overall, while Erskine dips to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Conference Carolinas. The Abbey is the only team in the conference with an unblemished Conference Carolinas record.

Sophomore forward Asha Hardaway led an Abbey offense that shot 47 percent (28-60) from the floor, posting a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Hardaway sank eight of her 14 field goal attempts and converted all four of her free throw attempts while pulling down 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass, with three assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 39 minutes. Junior guard Courtney Naquin added 19 points on four of six shooting from the floor, while grabbing nine rebounds and collecting two steals and a pair of assists in 37 minutes. Sophomore forward Shayla Jackson added 18 points, seven rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes, while junior guard Ashley Giddens finished with 14 points and junior guard Kelsey Daniel added a season-best 12 points, with eight of those coming from the free throw line.

After shooting 41 percent from the floor in the opening half, the Lady Crusaders erupted for a 57 percent output in the final 20 minutes, missing just ten of their 23 shots. Erskine was even hotter from the floor in the second half, blistering the net with a 77 percent (20-26) effort as it finished with a 61 percent (27-44) for the contest. The Abbey controlled the glass, outrebounding the Flying Fleet 47-33, which included 22 offensive rebounds.

The Abbey is back in action Thursday night at 5:30 when it hosts Mount Olive.