MACON, Ga. – Senior forward Destiny Williams poured in 19 points to help lead the Brevard College women's basketball team (2-5, 2-5 USAS) to a 59-56 triumph over Wesleyan College (2-7, 2-7 USAS) on Friday evening.
Williams posted 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field to lead the Tornados' offensive attack against the Wolves. The Aiken, South Carolina native hauled in seven rebounds and led all players with five steals. Deja Riddick and Kaitlyn Light each scored seven points, while Riddick grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists. Avery Lockwood tallied six points, five rebounds, and three assists in reserve action, while Calli Wells added six points on 2-of-3 shooting from long distance.
Wesleyan was led by three double-digit scorers, with Ahnila Owens leading the way with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Kelsey Houpt added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Jamila Ra-Hashim added 10 points. Jasmine Williams posted six points and hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds and blocked three shots.
The Tornados were able to turn 16 Wesleyan turnovers into 17 points-off-turnovers, while outscoring the Wolves 16-4 in bench points. Brevard had the hot hand shooting in the first half, hitting at a 42.9% clip in the first quarter before making 41.2% of its shots in the second quarter.
Brevard jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Wesleyan matched it with a 7-0 run of its own, in what was a testament to the back-and-forth style of contest that would play out. The two sides were tied at 13 apiece before Wesleyan drained a 3-pointer to take a 16-13 lead into the second quarter.
Wesleyan was able to extend its lead to eight points midway through the second quarter, however, the Tornados cut back into the Wolves' advantage, trimming the lead to two points, 33-31, at the halftime intermission.
A tightly-contested third period that stayed within five points and included a pair of lead changes saw the hosts hold a two-point lead, 47-45, heading into the fourth and final quarter of action. Trailing by a point, 51-50, with 8:07 left to play, the Tornados put together a pivotal 7-0 scoring run to take a 57-51 advantage with 2:59 left to play. Wesleyan cut into Brevard's lead, trimming the contest to a 57-55 margin. With 14 seconds left to play, Williams drilled a clutch layup that effectively sealed the Tornados' conference victory, as Brevard earned the hard-fought victory, 59-56.
The Tornados and Wolves are set to conclude their weekend doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. in Macon, Georgia.
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-BC-