BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College women's basketball team (9-3, 6-0 USA South) continued its program-best start to a season, as the Tornados defeated Methodist University (8-4, 4-2 USAS) 73-54 on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
The win gave the Tornados a perfect 6-0 mark in USA South play, as Brevard maintained its spot in a tie for first place with Greensboro College at the top of the standings.
Makenna Parkins led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while also logging four rebounds and four assists. Freshman forward Olivia Miller added 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting with a team-high five assists and four boards. Aysha Short rounded out BC's three double-figure scorers with 12 points including a pair of 3-pointers. Short grabbed a team-best five rebounds in the contest.
Methodist was paced by Aniyah Tate, who scored 19 points and hauled in 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Jessica Drake added 11 points.
Brevard held a sizable advantage from the field, 52% to 36%, and hit six more 3-pointers than Methodist. The Tornados assisted on 21 of their 27 made field goals, but the Monarchs held a 38-30 edge on the glass. BC turned 21 Methodist turnovers into 25 points, while each side scored 34 points in the paint.
Methodist was able to jump out to the early 10-2 lead with 4:49 left in the first quarter, but Brevard answered right back closing the quarter out on a 12-2 scoring run to take a 14-12 advantage into the second period, gaining a lead that it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
BC pushed its lead up to eight points, 22-14, before Methodist battled back to within two, 22-20, at the halfway point in the second quarter. Brevard was able to take a six-point cushion into the locker rooms, 33-27.
Brevard maintained the lead through the third period, albeit within single digits for a majority of the time, as the Tornados carried a 48-39 lead into the final period. Short led the way in the quarter with eight points including two made 3's.
BC sealed the deal in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Monarch's 25-15 in the final period to claim a pivotal regular-season showdown in conference action, 73-54.
The Tornados are back in action on the road for a first-place showdown against Greensboro on Tuesday, January 10 at 6 p.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina. The winner of that contest will take sole control of first place in the conference.
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube, follow 'Brevard College Tornados' on SoundCloud, and 'Brevard College Athletics' on Facebook. In addition, follow 'brevardcollege' on Flickr for photos from Brevard College events
-BC-
