Greenville, SC – After their home win over Coker, Converse Women's Basketball traveled to Division I Furman University for a crosstown matchup (Exhibition) with the Lady Paladins.  The Valkyries were looking to capitalize on their first win of the season and hoping to put up a strong performance in Timmons Arena.  As Coach Brunelli said on his Coach's show Wednesday morning, he knew his team would be in for a challenge and that is exactly how the game would be.

Converse started off the first quarter hot, taking a 7-0 lead.  Ellen Nardella led the team early with 4 points.  However, Furman began to settle in and make a comeback.  The Lady Paladins took advantage of missed shots by the Valkyries and fought their way back in the game.  After taking the lead, Furman would not let the Valkyries take it back.  As the first quarter came to an end, Converse saw themselves down by a score of 19-12. 

Tierra Hodges, took advantage of Furman's momentum, to jump out to a big lead in the second quarter.  She would go 3-4 from the field, while her teammate Greyson Boone chipped in with 4 points.  Unfortunately, the Valkyries could not get going on offense and the Lady Paladins took advantage of that by turning defensive stands into offensive points.  It was a tough quarter for Converse, as they would go scoreless and go into the locker room down 38-12.

As the third quarter started, the Valkyries tried to narrow the lead, but they were unable to connect on numerous shots.  Furman's Grace Van Rij took advantage of the missed shots, scoring a total of 6 points in the quarter.  Her teammates would chip in and score 20 points, while holding Converse to only 2 in the quarter, to take a 64-14 lead.  It was not the start to the second half the Valkyries wanted, but they would not let that deter them from still keeping up their intensity.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Converse came out and started to find the basket.  Keyshuna Fair would go 2-3 from the field, which included a 3-pointer.  The Valkyries also became very active on the boards, out rebounding Furman 14 to12.  Eight of the 14 rebounds came on the defensive side.  Despite Converse's effort, they were not able to close the gap and would end up falling to the Lady Paladins by a final score of 81-28.

The Valkyries were led in scoring by Lindsey Hardin who had 5 points and 3 rebounds, along with Jordan Brown who, in only her 2^nd collegiate game, grabbed a total of 7 rebounds.  Keyshuna Fair and Ellen Nardella also turned in 5 points each on the night, while Alliee Pattillo was a perfect 2-2 from the free throw line.  It will be a quick turn around for Coach Brunelli and his team, as they we have a morning practice on Thursday and then board the bus for a trip to Nashville to take on another Division I program, Lipscomb University.  The game is scheduled for a 2:00pm (Central) tip-off and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.