Playing in its first Mid-South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, the seventh-seeded Lady Rams could not withstand a late rally from No. 2 seed and 16th-ranked Georgetown on Thursday evening, as the Tigers pulled out a 74-65 victory over Bluefield at the Frankfort Convention Center.

Bluefield used 14 first-half offensive rebounds to maintain possession and build a 34-25 lead at intermission. The Lady Rams extended their lead to 12 points during the second half, only to see it get trimmed down by the Tigers.

Georgetown pulled within two points several times until it reclaimed a 62-61 lead with 3:23 to play. With Bluefield in foul trouble, the Tigers closed out the game by cashing in at the free throw line – where they shot 28-for-34 on the night – to advance. Georgetown shot 14-for-16 from the stripe over the final 4:31 of the game.

Bluefield was led by Teqa McNeal's 18 points including a 4-for-8 performance beyond the arc. Ashley White added 17. Janee Simmons tallied her 12th double-double of the season, finishing the evening with 15 points and a game high 10 rebounds.

Lizza Jonas led Georgetown, tying her career high with 24 points. Devon Golden added 20 more, including 10-for-12 shooting from the free throw line, while Kourtney Tyra rounded out top scorers with 14 points.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, until the Lady Rams closed strong with a 10-0 run over the final 1:12. Until that point, Georgetown's largest first-half advantage was just two points, while Bluefield's was four.

McNeal sparked the run, jarring a three-pointer with 1:12 to go in the first half. Maryah Mazyck then posted an old-fashioned three-point play with 52 seconds on the clock, giving the Lady Rams a 29-25 edge. A bucket from Monique Robson and then a layup from White with two seconds sealed the run and ended the half, giving Bluefield the edge, 34-25.

Bluefield opened the second half by pulling out to its largest lead of the game, outscoring Georgetown 6-3 in the opening three minutes to earn a 40-28 edge.

However, Georgetown began to slowly chip away at the Lady Rams' lead, and pulled to within two, 46-48 with 11:09 remaining in the contest. Taking place over nearly six minutes, the Tigers outscored Bluefield 18-8.

The Lady Rams always responded to the Tigers edging closer, until a pair of free throws at the 3:23 mark gave Georgetown the lead, 62-61. It was their first advantage since a 23-21 lead with 3:41 to go in the first half.

Over the closing minutes, Georgetown continued to feed the ball inside to force Bluefield fouls. As the Tigers converted, the Lady Rams failed to score from the field leading to the 74-65 final.

Both teams struggled from the floor through the evening, with both finishing near 37 %. Georgetown doubled Bluefield's output from the free throw line, making 28-for-34 compared to the Lady Rams' 14-for-19.

Despite 16 offensive rebounds, Bluefield only managed five second-chance points, while the Tigers tallied 10 second-chance points from 14 offensive caroms. Both teams finished the evening with 39 total rebounds.

The Tigers converted 22 points from 15 Bluefield turnovers, while Bluefield tallied 10 points of Georgetown's 13 giveaways.

Georgetown will advance to Saturday's semifinal action, facing the winner of Thursday night's Campbellsville, Cumberlands matchup.

Bluefield concludes its season with a 15-14 overall mark.