BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College Women's Basketball team (5-12, 3-8 USAS) lost in a 53-51 nail-biter to USA South Conference rival Huntingdon (9-10, 8-2 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium. The back-and-forth affair, which came down to a last-second opportunity for the Tornados, featured ten tied scores and six lead changes.
Point guard Ty'She Washington led the Tornados in just her third game back following an injury that had sidelined her for the opening months of the season. Washington scored a game-high 18 points with three made three-pointers to go along with three assists and two steals. The Charlotte, North Carolina native was just one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down nine boards.
Shakirah Thompson continued her three-point shooting prowess with three buckets from beyond the arc en route to 11 points. It marked the eighth time this season that Thompson has made three or more three-pointers. Deja Riddick led all players with 12 rebounds to go along with nine points, two steals and two assists. Destiny Williams pulled down nine rebounds and dished out three assists.
Huntingdon was led by Keturah Billen who came off the bench to score 16 points along with double-digit scorers Ry Whitestone (13 pts) and Shaonica Thomas (12 pts).
The game started with a tight, low-scoring first quarter with both teams struggling offensively en route to a 9-9 tie after one period. BC's shooting then caught fire in the second quarter as the Tornados went 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc with both Washington and Thompson delivering from deep. A 6-0 run late in the period helped propel Brevard to a 22-17 advantage in the period and a 31-26 lead at intermission.
Both teams opened the third quarter with offensive struggles until a layup by Williams and a Washington three-pointer stretched BC's lead to its largest of the afternoon at 36-28. The Hawks however responded with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 39-39 with under two minutes to play in the third. A layup by Riddick off an assist by Washington then gave the Tornados a two-point lead entering the fourth and final period.
The lead see-sawed back and forth until the Hawks took a 53-51 lead on two made free throws with 2:25 to play. Neither team would score from that point forward with multiple attempts to tie the game or take the lead not dropping for the Tornados. Following a turnover by the Hawks with 1.8 seconds to play, BC would have one final possession however would not be able to get a shot off as Huntingdon escaped with the victory.
Brevard returns to action on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. with a USA South Conference matchup vs. Covenant at the Boshamer as part of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader. Following the home game vs. the Scots, BC will hit the road for four straight away contests to open the month of February.
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