Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College Tornados (9-13, 5-10 USAS) dropped a hard-fought 63-54 decision to the Covenant Scots (8-14, 6-8 USAS) on Saturday afternoon. Brevard held a 28-24 lead at the half, but Covenant used a key third-quarter run to retake the lead and held off a late BC rally.
The duo of Ty'She Washington and Destiny Williams led Brevard in scoring, with each tallying 13 points. Williams hit 6-of-10 from the field while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and securing three steals. Washington tallied four rebounds and three steals in Saturday's contest.
Sophomore forward Deja Riddick recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, and a team-high three assists, while senior guard Annalee Bollinger posted nine points, all by way of the 3-pointer (3-of-10 3P/3PA).
Senior guard JaTasha Hollinger and freshman guard Victoria Green each contributed defensively off the bench for Head Coach Donald Hudson, as both swiped two steals.
Covenant used a well-balanced attack to escape Brevard with a victory. Taylor Robinson led all scorers with 16 points, while Raquel Rosa added 10 points. Kaley Hallmark and Joanna Smith each tallied nine point, nine rebound performances as the Scots outrebounded Brevard 34-29.
The free throw line played a major factor in Saturday's decision. Covenant attempted 24 free throws, while Brevard only attempted seven.
Despite both teams making 22 field goals each, Covenant shot the basketball more efficiently, posting a 50% (22-of-44) mark compared to Brevard's 39.3% (22-of-56).
Both sides turned the ball over frequently (Covenant 24, Brevard 23), but the Tornados were able to convert those turnovers into more points, outscoring the Scots 22-16 on points-off-turnovers.
Covenant drove the ball inside frequently, as it outscored Brevard 30-20 in the paint.
The Scots started action on a 6-0 run before Brevard used its own 7-0 run to take a one-point lead with 5:21 left in the first quarter. Covenant regained a 15-11 lead heading into the second frame.
Brevard clawed its way back, taking a 23-22 lead at the 2:28 mark in the second quarter after Deja Riddick drilled a fastbreak layup. Washington hit a deep 3-pointer as time expired to give Brevard a 28-24 lead heading into the halftime intermission. BC outscored Covenant 17-9 in the second period, as Annalee Bollinger led all second quarter scorers with six points on a 2-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.
Covenant's turning point was the third quarter, where they started play with a 9-0 scoring run to take a 33-28 lead with 5:42 left in the third stanza. The Scots held a six-point, 41-35 advantage heading into the fourth period. Covenant's Robinson caught fire in the third period, posting nine points on 3-of-4 shooting.
After falling behind by its biggest deficit of 49-37 with 6:43 left in the game, the Tornados strung together a valiant 10-0 scoring run led by Bollinger and Washington to cut Covenant's lead to just two points at 49-47 with 4:26 remaining in the contest. A Robinson 3-pointer proved to be the dagger, however, as Brevard couldn't escape its fourth-quarter foul trouble. Covenant shot 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to escape the Boshamer Gymnasium with a 63-54 triumph.
Brevard returns to action on Wednesday with a road rematch against Berea College at 6 p.m. Brevard and Berea played a neck-and-neck contest at the Boshamer Gymnasium on January 2, with the Mountaineers claiming a one-point, 61-60 victory.
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