ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - Freshman forward Olivia Miller dropped a career-high 20 points as the Brevard College women's basketball team (3-2, 1-0 USA South) began conference play with a close 77-73 victory over NC Wesleyan University (3-1, 1-1 USAS) on Friday night in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Miller, the reigning USA South Rookie of the Week, scored a career-best 20 points to mark her fifth-straight contest scoring in double figures for the Tornados. The Hudson, North Carolina native shot an efficient 9-for-14 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, while grabbing seven rebounds to go alongside three assists and three steals.
Junior forward Makenna Parkins added 15 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Journey Tyler also scored in double figures with a 12-point effort. Lexi Shepard scored eight points with a pair of assists, while Naliyah Boyce totaled eight points and grabbed four rebounds.
The hosts were led by three double-digit scorers of their own, as Nadia Simmons totaled 19 points with eight rebounds. Johnay Goddard added 18 points and nine boards as both of NCWU's leading scorers logged near-double-double contests. Ariena Harris totaled 12 points to round out the trio of Battling Bishop double-figure scorers.
Brevard shot at a near 50% clip from the field to outpace the hosts, who hit their field goals at a 41% margin. Each side hit four 3-pointers, but BC held the edge at the free-throw line going 15-for-21. NCWU controlled the glass, but the Tornados took advantage of mistakes more often scoring 23 points off Bishop turnovers. BC held a 46-40 edge in the paint and its bench scored 21 points.
The Tornados never trailed in the game, while the Battling Bishops were able to tie the game up on a pair of occasions. BC's largest margin of lead was 11 midway through the third period.
Miller was able to set the tone for the Nados in the first period scoring seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field with a long-range bucket as the Tornados took a six-point lead into the second stanza, 20-14. The Battling Bishops battled back in the second period, outscoring Brevard 15-12 to cut the deficit to a three-point margin, 32-29 at the halftime break.
Tyler led the way for Brevard in the third stanza with six points, as Parkins and Boyce added four each in a tight third period as the Battling Bishops came back from an 11-point deficit to make it a four-point game, 50-46.
Miller put an exclamation point on her night with a nine-point fourth quarter on 4-of-6 shooting and her second 3-pointer of the night as the Tornados and Battling Bishops traded punches in a hectic 54-point period that saw each team score 27 points each. All told, the Tornados held serve and iced their four-point victory to open conference play over a formidable NCWU squad that was projected to finish third in the conference.
BC will turn right around to take on Meredith College tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina as conference action rolls on for the Tornados.
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-BC-