BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College women's basketball team (14-8, 8-5 USAS) clinched its second-consecutive USA South Conference postseason berth, as the Tornados rallied back to win a thrilling 71-68 decision over Huntingdon College (9-12, 5-7 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at an electric Boshamer Gymnasium.
Down 64-59 with just under five minutes left, the Tornados closed the contest on a 12-4 run, hitting clutch baskets and making key stops to clinch its second postseason berth in the program's NCAA-era.
The matchup marked Senior Day for BC women's basketball, as the senior class of Avery Lockwood, Melvia Seymore, and Ty'She Washington all were honored in a special pregame ceremony.
Sophomore forward Makenna Parkins finished as the leading scorer overall in the contest, totaling 23 points and six rebounds in a team-high 37 minutes on the court, while hitting all nine of her free throw attempts in Parkins' second outing of her career scoring 20 or more points. Lockwood added a career-high 17 points on a near-perfect 8-of-9 from the field with six rebounds. Destiny Williams, a graduate student from Aiken, South Carolina, had a near double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Seymore grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Freshman guard Lexi Shepard had seven rebounds and five assists to lead the ball distribution efforts for BC.
Huntingdon was led by Kassidy Crawford, who poured 22 points in off the bench, while Brooklyn Oden had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists and totaling four steals.
BC came out hot, as the Tornados scored the game's first eight points through the first four minutes of play. The Tornados held a 14-5 lead at the 2:53 mark and took an 18-13 lead into the second quarter. Brevard then outpaced the Hawks, 15-8, in a low-scoring second quarter to take a 12-point cushion, 33-21 into the second half.
Brevard was able to keep its lead in double digits through the first four minutes of the third period before the Hawks began to chip away at the deficit. With the score 48-39 in favor of Brevard, Huntingdon scored five out of the last seven third-quarter points to trim the lead to six, 50-44.
A game-altering 12-0 scoring run for Huntingdon gave the Hawks their first lead of the afternoon, 56-50, with 7:16 left to play. Parkins made four-straight free throws to cut the deficit to two, but quick Huntingdon offense kept the Tornados from retaking the lead. Parkins and Williams combined for BC's next five points, as the Tornados trimmed the lead back down to one point, 61-60, with 4:38 left to play.
Following a Kassidy Crawford jumper with 1:42 left, the visitors retook a two-point margin, 66-64. Williams, however, swiped the ball on the ensuing Huntingdon possession and went coast-to-coast for the layup that tied the score back up at 66 all. Huntingdon was able to answer back with a jumper with 34 seconds left to play, but fifth-year senior Shakirah Thompson stepped up with a clutch 3-point basket with 28 seconds left on the clock, as Brevard retook a slim one-point lead.
The Tornado defense stepped up on the ensuing Hawk possession, forcing a miss as Williams was fouled, sending her to the line to shoot a pair of free throws. The graduate student was calm and collected, hitting both of her attempts from the charity stripe to make it a three-point affair with six seconds left to play. BC's defense forced a pair of misses, as the Tornados sneaked out the crucial conference win, 71-68.
Brevard shot 42% from the field compared to Huntingdon's 39%. The Hawks hit three more 3-pointers than Brevard, but the Tornados edged the Hawks on the boards 41-35. BC pounded 38 points in the paint and capitalized with 16 second-chance buckets.
The Tornados will begin to jockey for playoff positioning, starting tomorrow with a Sunday afternoon matchup between Brevard and Maryville College, slated for 3 p.m.
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