Berea vs Brevard Highlights
Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College Tornados (6-6, 2-4 USAS) returned home on Wednesday afternoon to face the first place Berea Mountaineers (9-2, 5-0 USAS) at the Boshamer Gymnasium. A late Berea run capped off by three-straight trips to the free throw line pushed the Mountaineers to a 61-60 lead with just one second remaining. Brevard's last-second attempt by senior guard Annalee Bollinger rolled off the rim in heartbreaking fashion as Berea escaped Brevard with a one-point USA South Conference victory.
Brevard was led by a stout defensive effort all afternoon with sophomores Deja Riddick and Destiny Williams anchoring Brevard's attack.
Riddick recorded a season-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, grabbing six rebounds and tallying three assists in the process.
Williams scored eight points, all coming by way of fast-break layups. The sophomore stuffed the stat sheet with her defensive effort, recording four rebounds, three steals, and four blocks along the way.
Freshman center Avery Lockwood chalked up her second career double-double, scoring 10 points while grabbing a game-high 12 boards.
Berea had three players reach double-figure scoring totals, including Bethanie Williams who totaled 16 points off the bench.
Brevard outshot Berea by a considerable margin, as the Tornados' 25-of-60 mark (41.7%) supplanted Berea's 17-of-57 performance (29.8%).
Head Coach Donald Hudson's team moved the ball well, tallying 15 assists on the afternoon compared to Berea's five.
The story of the game was told at the free throw line, as the Mountaineers' 28 attempted free throws dwarfed the Tornados' four. Berea converted 20-of-28 at the line while Brevard notched 3-of-4.
The first quarter of action grew close after Brevard jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The Mountaineers knotted the score at 12-12 before the Tornados regained the advantage, taking a 14-12 lead into the second quarter.
The Tornados used a 9-0 run to grow their lead to 21-12 before the Mountaineers gained their footing in the second quarter. Berea trailed 25-18 before a 9-0 run of its own gave the Mountaineers the advantage. Berea held a slim 29-27 lead heading into the second half of play.
Berea quickly jumped out to a five-point lead, its largest of the afternoon, before the Tornados stormed back. Brevard used a quick 8-0 scoring run to retake a 37-34 lead.
After a Bethanie Williams free throw for Berea, the Tornados jumped out to their largest lead of the day with another 8-0 run to hold a 45-35 lead. The Tornados held an eight-point, 47-39 lead heading into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter saw both teams go back and forth until the 3:30 mark, where a Destiny Williams turnover led to a Berea long-range jump shot to slice Brevard's lead to 56-50.
After Krysta Davis made a key layup to extend the Tornados' lead to eight, Berea's Kelsey Tippett drilled a three-pointer to cut Brevard's lead to 58-53.
Berea would reach the free throw line on four of its next five possessions, knocking in 6-of-8 from the charity stripe during that sequence. This barrage of free throws led to a game-clinching 9-2 run to push the Mountaineers to a 61-60 lead with just one second remaining.
The Tornados drew up a set play from the near sideline where Bollinger's last-second three-point attempt barely missed the mark, rolling just off the rim which secured Berea's fifth conference win of the season.
Brevard will look to bounce back from Wednesday's loss with back-to-back USA South matchups forthcoming. The Tornados travel to LaGrange, Ga. to face the LaGrange Panthers (5-5, 1-2 USAS) on Friday at 6 p.m. before heading to Macon, Ga. for a rematch with Wesleyan College (0-10, 0-3 USAS) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tornados defeated the Wesleyan College Wolves by a final score of 84-30 on December 1 in Brevard.
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