SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sophomore guard Alexis McMillian flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, leading the Converse College basketball team to a win over Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center. After Lees-McRae scored the opening basket, Converse took control and never looked back. 

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Lees-McRae 49, Converse 57

Records: Lees-McRae (7-14, 4-9 CC) Converse (3-19, 2-11 CC)

Location: Hannah Gymnasium, Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C. 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Ashley Sides led the Valkyries with 15 points, knocking down five shots from behind the arc.
• Dominique Hill joined the double-digit scoring club, chipping in 11 points to go along with five assists and four steals.
• Converse shot 34% from the floor (18-53) and 74% from the charity stripe (14-19).
• The Bobcats held a 42-32 advantage on the glass, including 15-11 on the offensive end.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

LMC's Destiny Johnson gave the Bobcats a quick lead with a jumper, but Converse answered back with 10 in a row to control the game early on. Sides was able to connect on her first of five threes to give the Valkyries a 13-4 lead, but Lees-McRae finished the quarter on an 8-0 run to pull to within a single point (13-12) after one period. 

Second Quarter

Converse continued to put pressure on the Bobcats, taking the initial seven points of the second quarter, capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play by Bhrianna Jackson. That lead ballooned to double-digits (23-13) following another make from downtown by Sides. 

Offense was hard to come by for both team over the final six-plus minutes of the quarter. LMC outscored Converse 8-4 down the stretch, but the Vals were able to take a 27-21 lead into the intermission. 

Third Quarter

The shooting remained cold to begin the second half as Converse clung to a 30-25 lead with less than four minutes to play in the third. However, a tough jumper by Sierra Davenport followed by a three from Sides and two free throws by Hill gave the Purple and Gold their biggest lead of the contest, 37-25. 

Lees-McRae tried to cut into the deficit, scoring five of seven, but Ellen Nardella knocked down a triple at the third quarter buzzer, sending Converse into the final period leading 42-30. 

Fourth Quarter

Back-to-back threes by the Bobcats allowed Lees-McRae to pull to within 42-36 less than two minutes into the fourth. From that point, the two teams would trade the next 14 points. A layup by Davinique Campbell trimmed the Vals lead to 54-49, but that was the last points LMC scored. Hill knocked down three of four free throws down the stretch and Converse held on for the 57-49 win. 

UP NEXT

Converse will be on the road for its next contest, traveling to Mount Olive, N.C. to take on the Trojans of University of Mount Olive. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.