SWANNANOA, N.C. - The Brevard College women's basketball team (8-4) earned a hard-fought 53-45 road victory over fellow WNC-area institution Warren Wilson College (4-10) on Tuesday evening in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
The victory gives Brevard its fifth non-conference win of the season and eighth win overall, as BC's schedule now shifts fully over to USA South Conference play for the remainder of the 2021-22 regular season. Brevard's eight-point victory on Tuesday gives the Tornados a season sweep over the Owls, as Brevard was able to defeat WWC by a final of 80-75 at the Boshamer Gymnasium on December 3, 2021.
Freshman guard Lexi Shepard totaled a career performance with a career and team-high 13 points on five made field goals and a pair of 3-pointers, while dishing out four assists. The Summerville, South Carolina product also grabbed a career and team-best nine rebounds while dishing out four assists.
Graduate forward Destiny Williams and sophomore forward Makenna Parkins also reached double-digit scoring totals for the Tornados, totaling 12 and 10 points, respectively. Williams hauled down six rebounds and racked up a game-high five steals, while Parkins blocked a pair of shot attempts. Shakirah Thompson and Naliyah Boyce each posted six-point performances, while Aysha Short grabbed six rebounds.
Warren Wilson was paced by an 18-point outing from Daymon Hinkelman, who also grabbed eight rebounds and totaled three assists. Tayzha Allen and Sam Hoyle each totaled six rebounds, while Hoyle added two blocks.
Both sides were sub-30% shooting from the field, but Brevard drilled six 3-pointers compared to WWC's one. BC edged its hosts on the boards, 52-49, and dished out 13 assists to the Owls' 11. WWC was able to turn 17 Tornado turnovers into 15 points and outscored BC in the paint, 30-20, but the Tornados totaled 10 fastbreak points and utilized 18 points from their bench.
After consecutive Warren Wilson buckets, Brevard used an 11-2 run featuring consecutive 3-point baskets from Thompson to build an early five-point lead at the 5:08 mark in the first quarter. BC extended its advantage to as many as nine points before taking a 17-10 margin into the second stanza. Thompson led all scorers with a six-point first quarter, while Boyce added five points and three boards.
BC pushed its advantage up to 27-14 following a Williams 3-pointer with 5:08 left in the half. The Tornados led, 31-16, after a pair of Parkins free throws before taking a 13-point margin into the intermission. Williams led all Tornado scorers with eight points at halftime, while Short had already snatched six boards at the break. Remarkably, the Tornados held Warren Wilson 0-for-12 from the field in the second quarter.
The Tornados scored their first six points of the second half to take a game-high 19-point lead, 37-18, after a made free throw from Shepard. BC held a double-digit advantage throughout the quarter, holding a 40-29 advantage heading into the game's final quarter.
Warren Wilson battled back through the first seven minutes of the final stanza, using a 13-4 scoring run to cut the Brevard lead all the way down to just one point, 44-43, with 2:38 left to play. Clutch buckets helped the Tornados pull away, as Shepard nailed a 3-pointer and Parkins knocked down a pull-up jumper to put Brevard back up by six points, 49-43. Late free throws by Williams helped ice the contest, as the Tornados held on for an eight-point non-conference victory, 53-45.
The Tornados return to action on Friday and Saturday, January 21-22 for back-to-back home conference matchups. Brevard will first take on LaGrange College on Friday at 6 p.m. before playing host to Covenant College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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-BC-