SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After returning to Spartanburg from a basketball-shortened Thanksgiving break, the Converse University women's basketball team (2-3, 0-0 Conference Carolinas) defeated the Columbia College Koalas (4-4, 3-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference) by a final score of 65-39 Saturday afternoon at the Weisiger Center.

Redshirt senior center Sydney Wilson led the team in scoring with 20 points. Junior guard Zariyah Washington joined her in double digits with 15 points. Wilson posted five rebounds while Washington added four to her statline. Each of the Valkyries two leading scorers recorded a pair of steals in the victory.

The Valkyries got off to a slow start as they scored just six points in the opening quarter. The Koalas doubled-up the Valkyries after the first frame and the team had work to do.

Converse held Columbia to just five points in the second quarter while netting 21 of their own. After both teams netted three points through two-and-a-half minutes played in the second quarter, the Koalas would not score again for three minutes and forty seconds. In that time, Converse netted seven points and took the lead. The Valkyries held the Koalas to just 15.4% shooting from the field in the second quarter and did not send Columbia to the free throw line once. Meanwhile, the Valkyries offense was heating up and shot 41.2% from the field and scored their highest quarterly total of the game, 21 points. Heading into the locker room, what once looked to be a tough game for the Valkyries was a 27-17 halftime lead.

The Valkyries did more of the same in the third quarter, again limiting the Koalas to single digits while netting close to 20 of their own. Heading into the final ten minutes, the Valkyries found themselves doubling-up the Koalas, 46-23.

Columbia composed themselves and once again scored in double digits with 16 points, but with the Valkyries already up 23 points heading into the quarter and adding 19 points of their own during the final ten minutes, the Valkyries secured the 65-39 victory.

The Valkyries are back on the court on Wednesday, Nov. 29 as they host the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears at 5 p.m. at the Weisiger Center.

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