BREVARD, N.C. – Brevard's backcourt trio of Annalee Bollinger, Kelsie Rhyne and Deja Riddick scored four points each in the final two minutes of the contest as the Tornados secured a 74-62 victory over visiting St. Andrews in women's basketball action at Boshamer Gym on Thursday evening.
Bollinger enjoyed a solid all-around performance by leading all Brevard scorers with 20 points, hitting 6-of-16 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. She also contributed five free throws, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in the victory, as the Tornados moved to 4-4 on the season.
Riddick came off the bench to score 11 points for the Tornados by knocking down 5-of-9 from the floor and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. Ty'She Washington rounded out double-digit scorers for Brevard with 10 points by virtue of a 3-for-10 outing that included four successful trips to the free throw line as Brevard edged the Knights 27-12 in bench scoring.
Senior Whitney DeMoss anchored the post for Brevard with nine rebounds (three offensive) to go along with seven points, while Rhyne added seven points and six rebounds (three offensive). That duo helped give Brevard a 44-37 edge on the glass.
The lone double figure scorer for the Knights (4-7) was Samantha Ring, who tallied a game-high 24 points by hitting 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of-10 from 3-point range to go along with six rebounds.
The Tornados found their previous offensive rhythm early in the fourth, stretching their lead to seven following a layup by DeMoss and a trey from Bollinger. St. Andrews turned up its defensive pressure and along with conversions by Ring and Aquera Johnson narrowed the deficit to two, 54-52 at the 6:16 mark.
Bollinger stepped up in the clutch for the Tornados, knifing past the St. Andrews defense for a layup, which was followed by a layup from backcourt teammate Kelsie Rhyne which extended the lead to 59-54. Solid defense by the Knights, along with free throws by Nijha Shannon and Courtney Rowe, separated the two units by two points with 2:17 remaining.
Brevard scored seven of the first nine points of the third quarter and in the process assumed its largest lead of the game, 15 points, in the first 1:31 of the third quarter behind four points by DeMoss and a 3-pointer off the hand of Destiny Williams. The Knights countered with a 6-0 run, highlighted by four points from Ring, to pull within nine.
After exchanging buckets for a three-minute span of the game, Ring converted a long distance 3-pointer to cut the Brevard lead to 42-35. Just over a minute later, Ledford answered with a 3-pointer to again make for a 10-point contest. The Knights closed out the half on a 6-2 run, highlighted by jumpers from Kayla Clifton and Johnson, to move within six heading into the final frame.
Bollinger, who scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor, led all Brevard scorers at the intermission. She was joined in scoring by the duo of Napier and Riddick, who finished with eight and five points, respectively.
Brevard offense got in sync in the second quarter, behind five points from Bollinger, as the Tornados scored the first 10 points of the frame to stretch the lead to 12 at the 6:40 mark on a 3-pointer by Riddick. St. Andrews topped double figures with a series of scores by Ring and Morgan Perkins, trimming the deficit to nine with 4:18 remaining.
Napier drove home a timely trey and added a pair of free throws to forge the Tornados ahead by a 30-20 margin with just under two minutes remaining. Ty'She Washington sent Brevard to the locker room with a 32-22 advantage following an inbounds steal and layup with 1.5 seconds left in the quarter.
The Tornados streaked out to an 8-2 advantage inside the first three minutes of the contest behind a series of timely 3-pointers from Bollinger and Napier. St. Andrews found its offensive stride and along with solid defense scored seven unanswered to assume a one-point lead. Brevard answered with a 3-pointer by Ledford with 39 seconds remaining to take an 11-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Tornados return to the court on Sunday, Dec. 31, when they head to Cullowhee to take on Western Carolina at 2 p.m.