BANNER ELK, N.C. – Freshman guard Lindsey Hardin had her most productive game as a Valkyrie, pouring in a game-high 15 points, but it was not enough as the Converse College basketball team dropped a 77-57 decision at the hands of Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon. 

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Converse 57, Lees-McRae 77

Records: Converse (1-10, 0-2 CC), Lees-McRae (4-7, 1-2 CC)

Location: Williams Gymnasium, Lees-McRae College 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Alliee Pattillo joined Hardin as the only other Valkyrie to score in double-digits, chipping in a season-high 10 points off the bench.
• Sierra Davenport hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds for the Purple and Gold.
• The Valkyries knocked down a season-high 11 shots from behind the arc as Hardin and Pattillo combined for seven of those.
• Converse shot 18-49 (36.7%) from the floor, including 11-of-27 from distance.
• Lees-McRae held a slim 37-33 margin on the boards. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

Shakori Jennings-Shuler started the scoring for Converse with a jumper 40 seconds into the contest. Hardin extended the lead to 5-0 with the first of four triples on the evening. However, the Bobcats came back with nine in a row to push ahead 9-5 midway through the opening period. 

Ellen Nardella knocked down a three-pointer, sparking six in a row for Converse. The back-and-forth affair continued as the two teams traded the lead on four separate occasions during the first. After LMC went ahead 17-13, Pattillo drilled a three while Tori Henderson knocked down a pair of shots at the charity stripe, giving Converse the 18-17 lead after one. 

Second Quarter

Scoring was hard to come by for both sides early in the second quarter as the score was tied at 22-all five minutes in. Lees-McRae rallied to score six in a row before threes from Hardin and Pattillo trimmed the Bobcat lead to 30-28 with 2:29 remaining on the clock in the first half. 

However, Lees-McRae finished the half on a 7-0 run, taking a 37-28 advantage into the halftime intermission. 

Third Quarter

A pair of free throws by Makayla Smith helped to balloon that lead to 45-31 early in the second half before Hardin's shot from downtown pulled the Vals to within 45-34. The Bobcats came right back with a three of its own, which led to nine in a row for the home team, giving LMC its biggest lead of the game, 54-34. 

Converse was able to go on a stretch of six unanswered, capped off by a three from Ashley Sides, to pull within 54-40. Sides was at it again as she drilled another shot from deep and the Valkyries entered the fourth trailing by the score of 56-45. 

Fourth Quarter

After trading the first two baskets, Lees-McRae ripped off nine in a row to push out to a wide margin of 69-47 with just over six minutes remaining in the contest. That lead grew to as many as 23 (72-49) as Lees-McRae was able to keep Converse at-bay. The Valkyries pulled to within 18 (72-54) but that was as close as the score would get with the Bobcats taking the 77-57 win.   

UP NEXT

Converse will return to action following a one-week hiatus, welcoming North Greenville University into the Weisiger Center for a Conference Carolinas showdown. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.