BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College women's basketball team (16-9) used a late run in the game's final three minutes to take down Methodist University (14-11), 84-76 in the first round of the 2023 USA South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday evening at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
The win gives BC 16 victories on the season, which sets the program's NCAA-era record for single-season wins, breaking the previous mark of 15 set last season. The win also marks the second-consecutive year that the BC women's basketball program has won a first-round tournament game at home.
Brevard turned in a pivotal 7-0 scoring run as Methodist was within just two points, 69-67, with 2:57 left to play. BC scored the game's next seven points to take a 76-67 lead with 1:30 left, and the Tornados were able to close the game out at the free throw line for the 84-76 triumph.
Junior forward Makenna Parkins led five Tornados in double figures with 17 points, going 6-of-8 from the field while knocking down a team-best four made 3-pointers. The Marion, North Carolina native scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half of action.
Lexi Shepard, who is fresh off a career performance in the regular season finale, scored 16 points with a perfect 8-of-8 mark at the charity stripe while also dishing out six assists to facilitate the Tornado offense.
Makayla Street added 13 points off the bench, while Naliyah Boyce posted a 12-point, six-rebound effort. Alexis Marshall hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 10-point effort while matching Shepard's six-assist night. Chyna Pouncey added nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Methodist's Aniyah Tate dropped a game-high 28 points with 12 made field goals, while Jessica Drake added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Brevard hit its field goal attempts at a 50% clip (28-for-56) and made eight 3-pointers to Methodist's five. Additionally, the Tornados made an effort to attack the basket frequently, as Brevard attempted a total of 28 free throws.
Methodist dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Tornados 45-27 with a margin that included 19 offensive boards. Brevard's defense held tough, however, as the Tornados forced 20 Monarch turnovers and turned them into 26 points directly off turnovers. The contest shifted back and forth throughout the second half with 10 ties and five lead changes in the matchup.
BC controlled things in the first period, taking a 19-10 lead into the second stanza. The Tornados built on that advantage, scoring the quarter's first six points to extend the margin to a 25-10 score. However, Methodist stormed back with a 15-0 scoring run to tie things up at 25 apiece with 3:03 left in the first half. The remainder of the quarter was tight as the score remained deadlocked, 31-31 heading into the locker rooms.
The third and fourth periods were high scoring compared to the output in the first half. Both sides jockeyed back and forth in the third quarter with the Tornados holding a three-point edge, 55-52, at the end of the period.
The first-round contest remained in a stalemate through the first seven minutes of the fourth period, as Methodist trailed by just two 69-67 with under three minutes left in action. BC was able to break through from there, as four made Boyce free throws and a Parkins 3-pointer pushed BC's edge up to a nine-point margin, 76-67. From there, Brevard was able to ice the game at the free throw line, as Shepard hit six free throws in a row and Street knocked in two as the Tornados held on for the eight-point win, 84-76.
Brevard will now travel to Rocky Mount, North Carolina for the semifinals of the USA South Tournament on Thursday, as the Tornados match up with two-seeded NC Wesleyan University following the Battling Bishops' 58-49 victory over Pfeiffer on Tuesday. BC and NCWU will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
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-BC-