Valkyries Drop Non-Conference Contest to Lander

Valkyries Drop Non-Conference Contest to Lander

GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Converse (5-5) basketball team dropped a non-conference contest to Lander (6-2) on Monday evening inside Finis Horne Arena.

 

GAME INFORMATION
Score:  Converse 71, Lander 90
Records:  Converse (5-5), Lander (6-2)
Location: Finis Horne Arena
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

  • After a slow start to the season, Brianna James posted her third-consecutive double-digit game and fifth in her last six games.
  • Nigeria Davis hauled in a team-high eight rebounds, but was held under double-digit boards for only the fourth time this year.
  • Serenity Hunt continued her stellar play, notching a career-high 12 points
  • Jasmine Webb came off the bench and tallied a career-high six points in just three minutes of action.
  • The Bearcats held a 43-35 advantage on the boards

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Lander took the opening tip and made two passes for a layup to take an early 2-0 lead with just two ticks coming off the clock. However, Dominique Hill came right back and drilled a shot from long range to give Converse the 3-2 advantage.

 

A 10-4 spurt over the next two and a half minutes by the home team gave LU the 12-7 lead, but a layup from Abigail Lewis and another bomb from D. Hill knotted the contest at 12-all with 6:32 remaining on the first quarter clock.

 

The Bearcats reeled off seven straight to push ahead 19-12 and that lead would be 28-23 after the first period of action

 
Second Quarter

James knocked down a mid-range jumper to open the second quarter, but a 9-1 run by Lander gave the Bearcats their double-digit lead at 37-26 with six minutes left before halftime.

 

That lead grew to as many 14 (44-30), but Converse finished the half with a 6-3 mini run to head into the locker room down 47-36.

 
Third Quarter
 

A 7-0 run by LU out of the break ballooned the lead to 54-36 before Jasmine Webb connected on a layup to stop the run. The Valkyries cut the deficit to 14 on several occasions, the last being at 64-50 following a pair of Webb foul shots, but six straight from Lander gave the Bearcats their biggest lead at 70-50.

 

A Hunt free throw followed by a Paige Johnson three-ball made the score 70-54 heading into the final period of play.


Fourth Quarter
 Once again Lander opened the quarter strong, this time to the run of 7-2 to go ahead 77-56, but a resilient Converse squad refused to quit, reeling off 9-straight to trim the gap to 77-65, capped off by a long distance shot from Tatum Boggs with four and a half to play.

 

However, that would be as close as the score would get as Lander raced back out to 19-point lead following a 7-0 run and the Bearcats hung on for the 90-71 victory.

TURNING POINT

 

Trying to come back from double-digits in the second half for a second straight contest, Converse went on a crucial 9-0 run in the fourth to trim the deficit to 12 points (77-65), but Lander used one of its many runs, this time 7-0, to push back out to a comfortable 19-point lead (84-65).

 
NOTABLES
 

The 19-point defeat seemed a lot more on paper, but the game was hard-fought throughout the 40 minutes. The Valkyries suffered a 93-49 defeat to the same Bearcats just one year earlier.

 
UP NEXT
 
Converse will return to Conference Carolinas action on Saturday, December 9 as it travels to Bristol, Tenn. to take on the Tornado of King University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.