MISENHEIMER, N.C. - The Brevard College women's basketball team (15-8, 10-7 USA South) fell in a wild affair on Wednesday evening, dropping a 60-59 decision to Pfeiffer University (7-17, 5-12 USAS) on the road in Misenheimer, North Carolina.
Brevard built up a 36-9 halftime lead after stifling the Falcons in the first half, allowing just three made field goals total on a 3-for-20 mark. Pfeiffer turned the game around in the third period outscoring Brevard 32-9, and closed the comeback out in the fourth quarter with a 19-14 margin that included a game-winning jumper with 10 seconds left to play.
Despite shooting just 15% from the field in the first half, Pfeiffer ended the contest hitting 40% of its shots and matched Brevard with seven 3-pointers. BC held a 40-27 edge on the glass, but Pfeiffer turned 25 BC turnovers into 30 points to help spark the comeback effort - meaning that half of the Falcons' points came off Brevard turnovers.
Following a breakout 33-point performance in BC's last game, Josie Hester followed suit by scoring 23 points on Wednesday on 7-of-12 shooting with five made 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 mark at the free throw line. Naliyah Boyce added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Jada Petty-Wilkins scored 10 points and had a team-best four steals.
Pfeiffer's Miya Horton led the hosts with 15 points, as four Falcons reached double figures. Hannah Isley anchored Pfeiffer's outside shooting efforts with a perfect 4-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.
BC started play on a 13-3 run that led to a 19-7 first quarter lead. Brevard used that momentum to spark its 17-2 stretch through the second quarter as the Tornados held a 25-point lead at the break, 36-7.
Pfeiffer's defense held BC to nine points in the third quarter, while its offense picked up the pace for an impressive 34-point outburst to draw the Falcons within four points, 45-41.
BC was able to push its lead back up to eight points in the fourth period, 52-44, but Pfeiffer used a 10-2 run to tie things up at 54 with 3:04 left to play. The Falcons took their first lead of the game following a layup from Alexis Bynum on the next possession. Pfeiffer pushed this lead up to four points before the Tornados went on a 5-0 thanks to a Boyce layup, and a free throw and layup from Petty-Wilkins that put Brevard back up 59-58 with 24 seconds left to go.
Horton nailed a jumper with 10 seconds left to play for the Falcons, and BC's game-winning attempt by Hester was off the mark as Pfeiffer wrapped up the miraculous comeback effort.
The Tornados, who have locked in the four seed in the upcoming 2024 USA South Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, close out the regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Salem College for Senior Day at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
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