SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University women's basketball team used a 25-point third quarter to power past Southern Wesleyan 63-58 on Friday evening at the Weisiger Center.
Converse (3-4, 2-2 Conference Carolinas) won the opening tip-off but it was Brittany Mack of Southern Wesleyan (1-4, 1-1 Conference Carolinas) who scored the opening points of the night for either team.
Alisa Davenport (Rolesville, N.C.) tied the game at 3-3 with 9:05 remaining in opening stanza. Scoring became a bit of a premium for both sides as he each team struggled to find their rhythm from the field.
Following a pair of free throws from Davenport,
Sydney Wilson (Henderson, Tenn.) made a layup with 2:56 left in the quarter and the Valkyries led 9-6 over the Warriors. The Valkyries held the ball for the final shot in the first period and Davenport nailed a three-pointer to give Converse a 12-10 advantage heading into the second quarter of action.
The Southern Wesleyan offense began to click in the second quarter and caught the Valkyries a bit off guard. Shelby Glance capped off a 13-5 run with a three-pointer at the 5:45 mark of the period. Minutes later, Caroline Reese connected on a three-pointer with a minute left in the half to give Southern Wesleyan their largest lead of the night at 33-23.
The Valkyries made a few adjustments at the halftime break and came out focused in the third quarter. Converse opened the third period on a 10-2 run, Wilson converted a pair of free-throws to tie the match at 35. A few moments later the Valkyries run extended to 16-2 as
Eva Carballo (Madrid, Spain) knocked down a mid-range jumper with 5:32 to play.
Nakia Hooks ended the Valkyries scoring run with a layup at the 5:14 mark of the third quarter.
Lindsey Hardin (Inman, S.C.) kept the pressure on the Warriors as she recorded a personal 5-0 run to keep the Valkyries lead intact. Converse went into the fourth quarter with a 50-43 lead over Southern Wesleyan.
Coming out of the third quarter break, Hardin connected on another three-pointer and the Valkyries held a 53-43 advantage over the Warriors. The double-digit lead did not last however, as Southern Wesleyan hung around and slowly chipped away at the Valkyries lead. Then with four minutes left in the quarter the Warriors went on an 8-0 run and took a 58-57 lead.
With about a minute remaining in the game, Wilson made a layup to give the Valkyries the lead once and for all. The Valkyries defense came up big in the final moments of the game as they forced a pair of stops. Converse connected on their free throws down the stretch to take their second win of the week.
Hardin finished with a team high 24-points and 11-rebounds, while Wilson finished second on the team with 21-points and 12-rebounds. Davenport added 12-points in the Valkyries win on Friday evening.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will be back in action tomorrow afternoon against North Greenville, tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. in the Weisiger Center.
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