SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior center Sydney Wilson scored a career high 26-points on Wednesday night as Converse defeated North Greenville 57-45 inside a packed out Weisiger Center.

With the win Converse (1-6, 1-1 Conference Carolinas) ends a six-game losing skid to start the season and broke a five-game losing streak to North Greenville (0-7, 0-1) dating back to the 2019-2020 basketball season.

Converse won the opening tip and immediately fed the ball to Wilson down in the paint. Wilson scored on back-to-back layup attempts to give the Valkyries and early 4-0 advantage. The Crusaders countered with a quick 4-0 run of their own to tie up the match in the early moments of the period. Wilson then scored the next five points for Converse to give the Valkyries a 9-6 edge over the Crusaders.

With 3:57 to play in the opening period, Alisa Davenport became the first Valkyrie other than Wilson to score with a three-pointer. The Valkyries offense kept up the pressure on the Crusaders defense and eventually held an 18-9 lead with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter. North Greenville closed the gap before the end of the quarter and trailed 18-14.

At the start of the second quarter the Valkyries jumped out to a 24-14 advantage behind shots from Wilson and Zahra Cross. With 4:59 remaining in the second quarter, Alisa Davenport found Wilson once again in the paint. With the made basket, Wilson capped a personal 8-2 run against the Crusaders defense and the Valkyries held a 32-17 lead. The Valkyries never let up in the opening half as Jennifer Damoah hit a three-pointer as time expired to give Converse a convincing 41-20 halftime lead.

The start of the third quarter was different from the first half on both ends of the court. Converse who had been on fire in the opening half was unable to get a shot to drop as North Greenville went on an 11-0 run. The run helped the Crusaders break back within single digits of Converse with 4:26 to play in the period. A Jordan Brown fastbreak steal and layup ended the Crusaders run with 3:19 to play in the third quarter. The Valkyries closed out the quarter with the momentum following a 6-0 run to end the period.

The fourth quarter proved to be a defensive battle for both sides as only four shots were made by both shots in the period. With the final quarters lack of offensive fireworks from either side, the Valkyries were able to hold on for their first win of the season.

Wilson finished the game with a career best 26-points against the Crusaders and finished with four rebounds in the win. Jordan Brown finished second on the team with 12-points but led the team in rebounds (9), assists (5) and steals (6). Amaia Parkins had another great night protecting the rim with 8 rebounds and a team best three blocks.

Next Up:
The Valkyries will remain at home this weekend with a match against Mount Olive on Saturday afternoon. The match is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. opening tip inside the Weisiger Center.   
 
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