BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College women's basketball team (5-9, 3-5 USAS) came up just short in the final seconds in a 68-66 defeat to USA South Conference foe Maryville (12-4, 5-2 USAS) on Tuesday night at the Boshamer Gymnasium.

 

Trailing by two points with 4.1 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, the Tornados had the ball and a chance to either tie or win the game in regulation.  Junior Destiny Williams was able to get a clean look on a three-point attempt, however, the potential game-winner rimmed out as the visiting Scots escaped with the narrow victory.

 

Williams registered 13 points, going 9-of-10 from the free-throw line while also pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.  Williams also swiped a team-best four steals to go along with three blocks and three assists.

 

Junior Shakirah Thompson led Brevard with 14 points on four made three-pointers.  Junior Deja Riddick also scored in double figures with 12 points in addition to six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

 

Junior guard Taryn Ledford added nine points on three made three-pointers, while senior center Krysta Davis registered seven points and five boards.

 

Maryville was led by Shelby Hix who scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.  Klaire Varney (15 points) and Elsa Eckenrod (11 points) also scored in double figures while Kelly Wandell pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. 

 

The Scots caught fire early offensively, hitting 6-of-7 three-pointers, including three by Hix in the first quarter.  Trailing 22-13 with less than two minutes to play in the first, the Tornados exploded with a 7-0 run to end the period propelled by a three-pointer from Thompson and layups from Davis and Riddick. 

 

The scoring run continued into the second quarter as a three-pointer by Riddick capped off a 10-0 run to give the Tornados their first lead of the night at 23-22.

 

The two teams traded the lead in a low scoring second quarter that ended with a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Maryville's  Eckenrod to give the Scots a 35-30 advantage at intermission.

 

Maryville then stretched their lead to its largest of the game with a 13-point lead with 5:38 to play in the third quarter on another three-pointer by Hix.

 

The Tornados, however, fought back, cutting into Maryville's lead through the end of the third period and into the fourth.  BC took the lead 62-61 after a made layup and free throw by Riddick at the 4:10 mark. 

 

Maryville would stretch its lead to four points, however, two made free throws by Williams made the score 68-66 with one minute to play. The Brevard defense was able to force two Maryville turnovers down the stretch, setting up missed three-point attempts by Thompson with 28 seconds left and Williams with four seconds remaining.

 

Maryville outshot Brevard 46% to 38% from the field in the contest and made 14 three-pointers compared to nine by the Tornados. BC was able to convert 11-of-15 free throws, while Maryville went just 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.

 

Brevard returns to USA South action this Saturday, January 18 vs. Berea at the Boshamer Gymnasium in the "We Back Pat" game to support the Pat Summitt Foundation in raising awareness to find a cure for Alzheimer's.  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on the campus of Brevard College.

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