BREVARD, N.C. – Fifteen Tornados found the scoring column as the Brevard College women's basketball team (14-4, 9-2 USAS) cruised to an 81-53 victory over Salem College (0-15, 0-9 USAS) on Wednesday evening at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
 
Senior Josie Hester led all scorers with 18 points, firing off a 6-of-8 performance from beyond the arc.  Freshman Analee Morris, making her first collegiate start, went 3-for-3 from the 3-point line en route to 12 points.
 
Senior Makenna Parkins was the game's leading rebounder with a season-high 12 boards.   Junior Jada Petty-Wilkins led all players with five steals on the defensive end.  Senior Naliyah Boyce had a strong overall performance as well with eight points, four assists, two steals and two blocks in just 14 minutes.
 
Several players came off the bench and produced throughout the contest as 16 total BC players saw action.  Freshman Kayden Johnson recorded a career-high three blocked shots to go along with five points.  Fellow freshman Malayka Rubin scored six points, while sophomore Somer Johnson registered five points and three assists.
 
Brevard opened the game on a 14-0 run as Hester and Morris each delivered with two 3-pointers apiece.  BC kept its lead in double-digits for the rest of the period, taking a 24-11 advantage into the second quarter.
 
The Tornados stretched their lead even further in the second quarter, taking a 40-16 lead with 3:25 to play before halftime on a layup by Kayden Johnson.  The Spirits responded with a 11-2 run to end the period with the Tornado lead cut to 42-27.
 
Salem cut into BC's lead even further in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 12 points at 47-35.  Parkins then stopped Salem's momentum with a jumper in the paint that sparked a 15-0 scoring run capped off by a layup by Rankin.
 
Brevard cruised the rest of the way, maintaining a lead of at least 23 points throughout the fourth quarter, en route to the 28-point win.
 
For the contest, the Tornados shot 50% (31-of-62) from the field, making 10 3-pointers. BC registered 21 assists on its 31 made field goals, while on the defensive end recorded a season-high eight blocked shots.  The eight blocks ranked tied for the most in the NCAA D3 era, matching a similar performance vs. Pfeiffer in 2023.
 
Brevard returns to action with a rematch between the two top teams in the USA South Conference as the Tornados visit defending conference champions Southern Virginia.  Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday in Buena Vista, Virginia.
 
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