SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University women's basketball team dropped their Saturday afternoon matchup with the Belmont Abbey Crusaders by a final score of 72-59.

With the loss, Converse falls to 0-9 on the season and 0-4 in Conference Carolinas play. Belmont Abbey improves to 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in Conference Carolinas action.

Graduate student Janiyah Hagood led all players in scoring with a career-high 23 points.
 
How It Happened
Despite the Crusaders winning the opening tipoff, Converse scored the first basket of the game as freshman Skyler Ellison, making her first career start, drilled a three pointer. After Belmont Abbey worked to take their first lead of the game, Converse tied the game at five points with just over eight minutes to play in the first quarter and took another lead with just under seven minutes remaining. The Valkyries built that lead up to a quarter-high seven points with 4:04 remaining, leading the Crusaders 15-8. While the Crusaders ended the quarter on a 9-3 run, Converse narrowly held onto the lead, going into the second quarter up 18-17.

The teams traded two-point possessions to open the second quarter, keeping the Valkyries up one point. Belmont Abbey built up a lead to four points before Converse fought back to tie the game at 24 just under the six and a half minute mark in the second quarter. After they took another lead, Converse rallied to steal a two-point lead with 2:43 remaining as senior Andrea Gutierrez Ciordia nailed a pull-up jump shot. Hagood nailed a jump shot with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Converse a 32-31 advantage at halftime.

Belmont Abbey sank the first basket of the second half to immediately reclaim a lead. The Valkyries took the lead back on their next possession as Hagood drilled both of her free throws. After another round of exchanges, Belmont Abbey tied the game at 37 points with 7:11 remaining in the third quarter. Just over four minutes later, Gutierrez Cirodia sank the next basket, putting Converse up once again. Following that basket, both teams tallied nine points during the remainder of the quarter, allowing Converse to take a 48-46 lead into the fourth quarter.

After the Crusaders took an early lead in the fourth quarter, the Valkyries worked to tie and then reclaim the lead with just over eight minutes to play in the game as Gutierrez Ciordia sank a layup. Belmont Abbey sank a layup and free throw on the following possession, completing the three-point play and putting them up one point. Freshman Madison Fileen sank a layup of her own to put Converse back up, but Belmont Abbey took their final lead of the game 54-53 with 7:14 remaining. Neither team scored for over two minutes following that Belmont Abbey basket that came with an and-one free throw. The Crusaders ended the game with a nine-point advantage over the final five minutes and won 72-59.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Hagood led all players in scoring with 23 points. She shot 7-9, 77.8 percent, from the field and was 5-7, 71.4 percent, from beyond the arc. She sank all four of her free throw attempts.
• Gutierrez Ciordia tallied 16 points, more than all but one of Belmont Abbey's players. Fileen also tallied double-digit points with 10.
• Hagood and senior Mazie Helpman each grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
• Gutierrez Ciordia dished out a team-high four assists.
  • She and Helpman also led the team in steals with four each.
• Helpman also recorded three blocks in the game.

Up Next
The Valkyries return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 16 as they head to Bristol, Tennessee to take on the King University Tornado. Tipoff is scheduled for noon.

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