ATHENS W. Va -- Concord University roared to an early lead and despite constant pressure, held on to defeat the Anderson College, 89-81 Friday night. The game began with the teams swapping baskets. Concord made that 9-1 run with 15 minutes remaining in the first half to take a 19-11 lead. The Lions never reliquished the lead from that point. "We hit shots," said Lady Lions head coach Kenny Osborne. "(Shari) Walker hit a bunch of threes. (Jessica) Ferguson hit some. We had them down 18 at one time and they cut it to nine (at the end of the first half.)" The Lady Trojans continued to battle behind the slashing and shooting of Deidra Langston, who ended the game with 38 points. But every run by the Lady Trojans was answered by a run by the Lions. Walker led the Lions with 23 points and Ferguson added 22. "We knew that it was a game of runs," Ferguson said. "They were a good team. We couldn't expect that they weren't going to come and hit a few shots and make a run of their own." Anderson did make runs, at one point cutting the margin to 72-70 in the second half. But Concord always had an answer. An 11-1 run effectively ended the contest.