GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Brevard College women's basketball team (9-4, 6-1 USA South) battled Greensboro College (12-2, 7-0 USAS) for sole possession of first place in the USA South Conference on Tuesday evening in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Greensboro put together a 17-2 scoring stretch late in the third quarter to retake the lead, and finished the contest off with a 12-point victory, 73-61, handing the Tornados their first USA South loss of the season.
Sophomore point guard Lexi Shepard led all Tornados with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting while going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Shepard, a native of Summerville, South Carolina, added five assists, four rebounds, and a team-high two steals to her effort. Olivia Miller and Calli Wells each scored 10 points and made a pair of 3-pointers, while Makenna Parkins added a nine-point, nine-rebound performance. Naliyah Boyce and Aysha Short contributed eight points apiece.
Greensboro was led by three double-digit scorers, as Ta'Keria Legette scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Lauren Livingston also eclipsed the 20-point mark, scoring 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting with nine made free throws in addition to four assists. Audrey Jennings also reached double-figure scoring totals with 18 points, while Aijah Palmore dominated the glass with an astonishing 18-rebound performance.
Both teams shot nearly identically from the field, with BC holding a 10-6 edge from long distance. Greensboro was able to get to the free throw line often, attempting 25 free throws with 21 makes for an 84% mark from the charity stripe. The hosts outrebounded Brevard 48-41 while BC distributed 20 assists and the Tornado bench outscored Greensboro's 26-7. The Pride stole the ball 19 times and forced Brevard into 24 turnovers.
The first quarter of action was closely contested with the Pride holding a two-point edge after one period of play, 17-15. Greensboro extended its lead out to seven points, 22-15, before Brevard battled back with a 12-1 scoring run to take a 27-23 lead with 2:30 left in the half. BC maintained its advantage, holding a one-point lead 33-32 at the halftime break.
Brevard rode its positive momentum into the third quarter, taking a game-high seven-point lead 43-36 after a Miller jumper at the 4:05 mark. However, the Pride responded with a lengthy 17-2 scoring stretch that leaked into the fourth quarter as the hosts retook the lead, 53-45, at the 9:37 mark in the fourth period. From there, Greensboro used solid defense to hold off any further comeback attempt from the Tornados, as the Pride improved to 7-0 in conference play with a 12-point victory, 73-61.
The Tornados return home for two USA South matchups this weekend. BC first faces Mary Baldwin University for the second time this season on Friday at 6 p.m. before matching up with Southern Virginia University on Saturday, with tip-off now slated for 4 p.m.
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-BC-