MARYVILLE, Tenn. - Junior forward Deja Riddick tallied a game-high 21 points as the Brevard College women's basketball team (2-6, 0-2 USAS) returned to USA South Conference play with a 65-50 defeat against the Maryville College Scots (6-2, 1-0 USAS) in a mid-week, Wednesday evening matchup.
Riddick scores 11 points in the first half before tacking on 10 in the second half for a grand total of 21, marking the second time this season that the junior forward from Norfolk, Virginia eclipsed the 20-point plateau.
In addition to Riddick's scoring, she also grabbed eight boards and set a new career-high by tallying eight steals in Wednesday's matchup. This mark is tied for the third-most single-game steals in Brevard's NCAA-era history, and are the most single-game steals any Tornado has recorded since BC alumna Michaela Watkins swiped 10 steals on December 1, 2012, against Mars Hill University.
Freshman guard Mekindia Martin tied her season-high mark with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting that included two made 3-pointers. Destiny Williams added eight points in the junior forward's first start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Maryville's lineup featured four double-digit scorers, as Elsa Eckemrod (15 points), Courtney Carruthers (14 points), Abbi Joseph (14 points), and Klaire Varney (12 points) all surpassed double-digit scoring on the evening. Eckenrod posted a double-double, as she paired her 15 points with a game-best 13 boards.
Brevard slightly outshot Maryville, as the Tornados posted a 38% clip from the field to the Scots' 34%. The Tornados outscored the Scots 32-20 in the paint.
Maryville controlled the boards with a 51-32 advantage on the glass and dished out 10 assists to Brevard's four. The Scots took advantage of BC foul trouble throughout the evening, as Maryville turned 26 Brevard fouls into numerous trips to the free-throw line. Maryville shot a total of 38 free throws, draining 24 of them for a 63% margin. That margin superseded Brevard's 4-of-17 mark from the charity stripe, as the Tornados struggled to find their footing from the free-throw line.
Six-consecutive points following a Maryville free throw opened up scoring for the Tornados who held an early advantage, 6-1, midway through the first quarter. The Scots answered with a quick 8-0 run that was followed by an Avery Lockwood layup within the final minute of the stanza that sent the game to the second quarter with Maryville leading, 9-8.
Offense picked up mightily in the second period, as both sides scored 22 points. Behind 11 second-quarter points from Riddick, the Tornados opened up a game-high seven-point advantage, leading Maryville 19-12 with 5:57 remaining in the half. The Scots answered right back with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game, 19-19, before a Martin 3-pointer gave Brevard the lead back at the four-minute mark. With the Tornados leading 30-28, Maryville closed out the first half with three-consecutive points to head into the locker room with the lead, 31-30.
A back-and-forth contest early that featured five ties and six lead changes was decided with a big third quarter from the host Scots. Maryville came out of the halftime and outscored the visiting Tornados, 19-6 to push its lead to double-digits. With the game tied at 35 points apiece, the Scots strung together a 15-0 scoring run that set up a commanding 50-36 advantage heading into the final quarter of play.
Maryville extended its lead out to as many as 20 points, leading 63-43 with 4:29 remaining, before cruising to the win, 65-50.
The Tornados return home one final time in the 2019 calendar year when the Brevard College basketball teams host a conference doubleheader at the Boshamer Gymnasium on Saturday, December 7. Brevard's women's team takes on Wesleyan College at 2 p.m., followed by the men's team who squares off against Berea for an approximate 4 p.m. tip-off.
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