SPARTANBURG, S.C.  – Bookended by 19-point and 22-point quarters, the Converse University women's basketball team led wire-to-wire and defeated the North Greenville Trailblazers by a final score of 67-61 Thursday afternoon at the Weisiger Center.

With the win, the Valkyries improve to 2-17 on the season and 1-10 in Conference Carolinas action. North Greenville falls to 8-11 and 3-8 in conference play.

Junior Tatiana Brown led all players in scoring with 29 points, a new career high, in a double-double effort. This puts her in a tie for seventh place in single-game scoring in the Converse record book. Graduate student Janiyah Hagood recorded her first double-double in purple and gold as well.

How It Happened
After Brown sank a basket on the opening possession of the game, Converse held off the Trailblazers from scoring for nearly seven minutes, building the lead up to 12 points before North Greenville sank a three-pointer to get on the board. Hagood immediately responded with a three pointer of her own. The Trailblazers tallied just three more points over the final three minutes of the quarter, with Converse netting four and taking a 19-6 lead into the second quarter.

Converse held off the Trailblazers from scoring for another two and a half minutes in the second quarter, netting the first six points of the quarter in the process. With a pair of made free throws from Brown with just under two minutes elapsed in the quarter, Converse reached their biggest lead of the game at 19 points. North Greenville held off the Valkyries for three and a half minutes following their first basket of the quarter, with the Valkyries' scoreless run ending via a free throw from Hagood setting the lead at 13 points, 26-13. North Greenville further cut their deficit to just seven points over the final four minutes of the quarter as Converse took a 29-22 lead into halftime.

Converse added nine points back to their lead over the first three minutes of the second half. North Greenville ended the quarter on a seven-minute, 17-10 run, cutting the Valkyries' lead to just three points, 45-42, with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Early-fourth-quarter baskets from Brown and senior Mazie Helpman helped raise the lead up six points over the first 90 seconds of the quarter. NGU cut the lead to just two points with just under seven to play and one point, 52-51, with 4:20 remaining in the game, but Converse rallied back to increase the lead both times. Back-to-back layups from Helpman pushed the lead back to five points, 56-51. The teams combined for 21 points over the final two minutes of the game, with Converse tallying 11 of those points and holding on to win 67-61.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Brown led all players with 29 points, etching her name into the Converse record book. She shot 10-15, 66.7 percent, from the field and 8-10, 80.0 percent, from the free throw line. She also made one three pointer.
• Only three other Valkyries scored in the game, each putting up double-digit scoring efforts: Helpman (14), Hagood (13) and freshman Madison Fileen (11).
• Hagood and Brown completed their double-doubles with 11 and 10 rebounds respectively.
• Fileen dished out seven assists, tying an individual season-high for the Valkyries. She is responsible for all three of the Valkyries' septets.

Up Next
The Valkyries return to action on Saturday, Jan. 31 as they host the Chowan Hawks at the Weisiger Center. Tipoff has been moved to 11 A.M.

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