KIRKSVILLE - The Fulton Lady Hornets took the dramatic route in securing their initial North Central Missouri Conference win of the season.
Junior guard Olivia Gowin buried a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to give Fulton its first lead of the game as the Lady Hornets jolted Kirksville in a stirring 38-35 NCMC victory Friday night.
Junior forward Sydney Hedgpath then came up with a steal, was fouled and hit both free throws with :08 to play to seal the win for Fulton. The Lady Hornets halted a 10-game losing streak in moving to 5-15 on the season and 1-6 in the NCMC.
"We always talk in practice and in games about celebrating the highs and getting through the lows," Fulton head coach Dillan Brunk said. "The girls got down (Friday night) and were frustrated, but they were able to pick each other up.
"When Liv hit her shot, all of that pent-up energy they had exploded. They carried that all the way into the locker room to celebrate."
The Lady Hornets trailed 12-8 after one quarter and 20-17 at halftime, and were still down 29-25 after three quarters. Fulton, though, rallied in the fourth quarter by outscoring Kirksville 13-6.
"We were patient and did a good job of moving the ball and finding the best shot possible in our offense," Brunk said of the final 8 minutes. "It was a sign of maturity to know the score and how much time was left.
"(Defensively) we were filling in gaps and stopping drives, and getting baseline help."
Junior guard Kayanna Gaines guided the Lady Hornets with 12 points. Hedgpath and junior guard Carly Fisher supplied nine points apiece.
Elyse Johnson topped Kirksville with a game-high 13 points.
Fulton bowed in the junior varsity game 37-8. Sophomore guard Kyela Macon scored six points.
The Lady Hornets play at Eldon at 6 p.m. Tuesday.