SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In the team's first home outing of the season, the Converse University women's basketball team (1-2, 0-0 Conference Carolinas) secured a 14-point, 63-49 victory over the visiting Benedict College Tigers (0-1, 0-0 SIAC) on Tuesday night.

Junior guard Zariyah Washington netted 20 points in her first game at the Weisiger Center. She led all scorers. Washington also posted four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the victory. Redshirt senior center Sydney Wilson posted her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. She also assisted on three baskets and had a pair of steals.

The Valkyries came out strong in the first quarter, holding Benedict to just eight points and netted 17 of their own. The Valkyries shot 44.4% from the field and netted their sole free throw of the opening 10 minutes. They held Benedict to just 16.7% shooting in the first quarter. Once junior guard Elisa Solé Sanchez gave the Valkyries the lead with 9:05 remaining in the first quarter, they held onto it for the rest of the game.

Despite allowing the Tigers to score more points in the second quarter, 13, Converse netted more points of their own in the quarter, 18. The Valkyries posted five steals in the second quarter and only had the ball taken from them once. With the first half concluded, the Valkyries headed to the locker room up 35-21.

Coming out of the locker room, Converse opened up the second half with a 7-2 run over the first two-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter. The Valkyries posted their highest quarterly total of the game in the third quarter with 19 points. Washington and Wilson combined for 11 of those points. After 30 minutes of action, the Valkyries found themselves with a 54-36 lead and were heading towards their first victory of the season.

While the Tigers did outscore the Valkyries in the final quarter, their four-point advantage in the final 10 minutes was not enough to erase the lead the Valkyries acquired over the first three quarters. Junior guard Reagan Cameron and senior guard Jennifer Damoah each sank a three-point shot to account for a third of the Valkyries fourth-quarter output as Converse secured the game 63-49.

Converse takes the court again next Tuesday, Nov. 21 as they head to Hartsville to take on the Coker Cobras at 5:30 p.m.

Follow Converse
Facebook: Converse Valkyries
Twitter: @Valkyries_wbb
Instagram: @converse_wbb
YouTube: Converse Athletics