Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Brevard College Tornados Women's Basketball team (9-11) dropped a heartbreaking 64-62 decision on the road to William Peace University (12-8) in an intra-divisional USA South matchup on Monday evening.
The Tornados, who trailed by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, battled all the way back to tie and even take a late seven-point, 53-46 lead in the fourth period. However, William Peace outscored Brevard 18-9 in the final 5:45 of regulation to escape the Hermann Athletic Center with a two-point victory.
Pacers' forward Mikayla Ray drove into the lane and converted a layup with just eight seconds remaining, which proved to be the game-winning shot for William Peace. The Tornados were unable to convert on the other end, as Brevard fell in single-digit fashion for the seventh time in 2018-19.
The Tornados' comeback effort was paced by another breakout performance for Ty'She Washington. Washington led BC scorers for the second-straight game, tallying 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field., all of which coming in the second half of action. The Charlotte, N.C. native once again wreaked havoc for the opposing side, as she swiped four steals.
Sophomore forward Destiny Williams was the other Tornado to reach double-figure scoring, posting 11 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Williams drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key that tied the game up at 62-62 with 15 seconds left to play.
Annalee Bollinger's performance stuffed the stat sheet, as BC's leading scorer in 2018-19 showed her versatility by recording nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Brevard's bench played a key role down the stretch, racking up 20 points on the evening. Senior guard JaTasha Hollinger led BC's reserve effort with seven points.
The Tornados forced 19 turnovers on 10 steals, which they translated into 11 points-off-turnovers. However, BC's undoing was a cold shooting start. BC shot an uncharacteristic 3-of-17 (21.4%) from the field in the first period, which included a 0-of-7 mark from beyond the arc.
Overall on the evening, the Pacers outshot the Tornados 41.8% (23-of-55) to 34.8% (24-of-69), including a 50% (5-of-10) to 30.8% (8-of-26) advantage from long distance.
William Peace jumped out of the game quick, as a 13-2 run bookended by a Shania Springer layup started things off.
Back-to-back Hollinger layups got the Tornados going a bit, but the Pacers took an 18-6 lead into the second quarter.
William Peace stretched its lead to a game-high, 21-point advantage with 7:03 left in the second quarter at 30-9. Head Coach Donald Hudson called a quick 30-second timeout to rally his troops, kickstarting Brevard's comeback bid.
BC outscored William Peace 15-4 over the last seven-plus minutes of the second quarter to cut the Pacers' lead to 10 points at the break, 34-24.
Bollinger led all Tornado scorers at the intermission with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting. Krysta Davis added six points to Brevard's first-half efforts.
Brevard played its strongest quarter of basketball after the halftime break, as the Tornados would outscore the Pacers 22-10 in the third stanza. After a Springer 3-pointer to open the second half for William Peace, Brevard ran out to a quick 9-0 scoring run, finished off with a Williams and-one layup, as the Tornados had William Peace's lead down to four points.
Victoria Green hit a key 3-pointer with 3:04 left in the third quarter to give Brevard its first lead of the evening at 42-41. The Pacers regained a slim 44-42 lead, only to relinquish it in the final seconds of the third quarter. BC's Washington made back-to-back layups to give Brevard a 46-44 lead heading into the final quarter of action.
After WPU's Mariah Ballen hit a jumper to open the fourth period, the Tornados strung together a 7-0 run, giving them a game-high seven-point cushion with 5:52 left to play.
William Peace then used its own 8-0 scoring run to regain the lead, 54-53 with 4:11 left. A Washington free throw tied things up briefly at 54-54.
Both sides traded blow for blow down the stretch, with the score sitting at 58-58 with 1:27 remaining.
WPU's Khadijah Daniels converted a critical and-one opportunity to give the Pacers a three-point advantage with 1:18 left. At the 33 second mark, BC's Williams swiped a steal, which led to Washington being fouled. She converted one of her two free throws to make the score 61-59 with 31 seconds left.
Both teams traded possession quickly, with BC being forced to foul William Peace at the 24-second mark after turning the ball back over to the Pacers. WPU's Ray hit just one free throw to extend its lead to 62-59.
Following a Tornado timeout, Williams got a wide-open look behind the arc from the top of the key. She took advantage of the opportunity and drained the shot, tying things up yet again at 62-62.
Ray, the game's hero for William Peace, drove down the baseline with her left hand and snuck a layup through, which gave the Pacers a 64-62 lead. The Tornados attempted to push the ball down the court for one final chance, however, a William Peace steal sealed the contest.
Brevard returns home to the Boshamer Gymnasium to meet the Huntingdon Hawks (16-4, 9-3 USAS) for a rematch on Friday at 6 p.m., before facing the Covenant Scots (7-13, 5-7 USAS). on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tornados have found success at home this season, where they hold a 6-3 record.
To follow along with all the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, please follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados, or like Brevard College Athletics on Facebook.
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