RICHMOND, Ky. – Behind a career-high 16 points from Kailani Lindsey and another 20-point performance by Alice Recanati, the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team gets back in the win column defeating Jacksonville by a score of 88-75 on Thursday night at Baptist Health Arena.
 
With the win, EKU (14-8, 4-5 ASUN) snaps a two-game losing skid and rejoins the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Sun Conference women's basketball standings.  The Colonels have scored 85 or more points in their last three ASUN wins and despite the losing stretch entering play on Thursday, are still third in the league in scoring offense.
 
Lindsey had a career-night going for 16 points off a 7-for-12 showing from the field.  Thursday's performance was the third time her career ending with double figure scoring for the Wildwood, Florida native, who also had four rebounds and three blocks in her final line.
 
Four other Colonels ended in double figures, Recanati scored a game-high 20 points on seven made field goals while senior guard Kaitlyn Costner had 16, freshman guard Liz Freihofer had 14, and fifth year forward Raphaela Toussaint had 12.  
 
Freihofer's night was highlighted by a perfect 4-for-4 clip from beyond the arch—tying the second most made threes in her young career.  Costner was on triple double watch, tying her career-high eight rebounds with a team-high six assists.
 
As a team, the Colonels shot 52 percent from the field, 61 percent from deep, and 76 percent from the free throw line on 29 attempts.  One of the top rebounding teams not only in the ASUN Conference but in the entire country, EKU brought down 32 rebounds—25 of those coming from the defensive side of the floor.
 
Jacksonville (10-11, 4-5 ASUN) snaps a three-game winning streak with the loss to the Colonels on Thursday.  EKU held the ASUN's leader in scoring Edyn Battle to just 13 points, her second lowest point total on the season.  Prior to Thursday's game, Battle had scored 22 or more points in her last seven games and was averaging 25.5 PPG in conference play.
 
EKU opened Thursday's game with a 21-16 lead over the Dolphins at the end of play in the first quarter.
 
The Colonels were never able to pull away from Jacksonville in the first half, despite pushing their largest lead of nine off made threes from Freihofer and multiple baskets from Lindsey.  EKU went into the halftime break with a 41-36 lead.
 
Out of the break, EKU continued to get valuable minutes from its frontcourt as Lindsey, Toussaint, and Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor had five scoring possessions for the Colonels.  Jacksonville refused to let EKU obtain a double figure lead with pesky play down low and several trips to the charity stripe, ending the third quarter with a 62-56 deficit.
 
EKU would close out the contest early in the fourth as Lindsey and Toussaint scored on the first three Colonel possessions—giving the home team its double figure lead.  A made three from Costner and layup from Recanati would seal the 88-75 win for EKU despite 14 free throws being shot in the final 1:48 of play.
 
Comari Mitchell led the Dolphins with 15 points in their loss.  The league's top rebounder, Saniyah Craig, ended with a 10-point, 17-rebound double double playing a team-high 35 minutes.
 
EKU returns to action on Saturday afternoon squaring off with North Florida at 1 p.m. ET back inside Baptist Health Arena.  The Ospreys will be searching for their first win in conference play, entering the weekend game with a 4-18 overall record and 0-9 mark in league play.  Fans can purchase tickets online here.