SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A valiant comeback attempt by the Converse College basketball team fell just short on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center. Down by seven with less than a minute to play, the Valkyries cut the deficit to a single point (55-54), but ran out of gas, dropping the contest by the final of 57-54. 

GAME INFORMATION

Score: Southern Wesleyan 57, Converse 54

Records: Southern Wesleyan (3-20, 3-14 CC) Converse (3-23, 2-15 CC)

Location: Hannah Gymnasium 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Ellen Nardella led all players, scoring a game-high 19 points, knocking down five shots from behind the arc.
• Lindsey Hardin and Alexis McMillian joined Nardella in double-digit scoring, chipping in 13 and 10 points, respectively. McMillian also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, producing a double-double.
• Converse held a slim 40-39 advantage on the boards.
• Southern Wesleyan did most of its scoring inside, tallying 29 points in the paint.
• The contest had five ties and four lead changes.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

Southern Wesleyan raced out to a 6-2 lead just minutes into the opening period. However, the Vals came storming back with a dominant 12-0 run over the final 5:13 of the first quarter, taking a 14-6 lead into the second period. During the spurt, Nardella chipped in eight points as her shots from deep started to find the bottom of the net. 

Second Quarter

Scoring was hard to come by in the second frame as the two teams struggled to find any offensive rhythm. With the score at 16-8 in favor of the Purple and Gold, Southern Wesleyan reeled off seven consecutive to trim the deficit to one (16-15). Bhrianna Jackson connected on a layup to end the run and the Valkyries took a 21-19 lead into halftime. 

Third Quarter

The second half started as a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to establish a comfortable margin. Nardella knocked down a jumper at the 4:44 mark, giving Converse the 29-24 lead. However, Southern Wesleyan began to chip away at the deficit, eventually pushing ahead 31-29 following an Emily Waters turnaround jumper. 

Back-to-back threes from Hardin and Ashley Sides allowed Converse to catapult back out front (35-32), but the Warriors collected the final seven points of the quarter, taking a 39-35 lead into the final period. 

Fourth Quarter

That lead ballooned to 48-35 after Southern Wesleyan extended its run to 16 straight with 6:36 to go in regulation. From that point, Converse began to knock down shots, pulling to within four (52-48) after a Hardin deep three. 

Three free throws pushed the SWU lead out to 55-48 before the Valkyries made one last effort at a comeback. A 6-2 finish to the game was not enough and Converse fell by the final of 57-54. 

UP NEXT

The Valkyries will be back in action on Wednesday, February 12, traveling to Belmont, N.C. to face league-leading Belmont Abbey College at 7:00 p.m.