BREVARD, N.C. – The most accomplished season in Brevard College women's basketball's NCAA history concluded on Saturday as the Tornados (23-5) fell by a final of 82-74 at the Boshamer Gymnasium to no. 2 seed Southern Virginia (21-7) in the USA South Conference Tournament Championship.
The result wraps up a 2025-26 campaign that saw BC set new single-season highs for overall wins (23) and conference wins (16) in the NCAA era. Brevard secured the program's first USA South Conference Regular Season Title and earned the top overall seed in the USA South Tournament for the first time.
Senior guard and All-Conference Second Team selection Jada Petty-Wilkins led BC with 20 points in the Championship, hitting four 3-pointers with six rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Malayka Rankin sparked BC off the bench with 14 points, while Analee Morris scored 12 points with six free throws. For their efforts throughout the Tournament, Morris and Petty-Wilkins were each selected to the All-Tournament Team.
USA South Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Abigail Snider played all 40 minutes in the Championship win for the Knights, scoring a game-high 28 points with 12 field goals and four 3-pointers, with 20 of her points coming in the first half to set the tone for SVU. Snider was one of three Knights who grabbed double-digit rebounds, as SVU held a dominant 51-27 edge on the glass with 22 offensive boards to propel itself to victory.
Aysia Foster added 24 points with 11 rebounds and shot a highly-efficient 12-of-15 from the field. Maria Savvun rounded out SVU's All-Tournament trio with 17 points and a game-best six assists.
Despite the tight nature of the Championship, with the margin in single digits through most of the contest, SVU was able to fend off the Tornados and lead wire-to-wire. BC got within one point in the first quarter, 10-9, but a quick 9-2 stretch from the Knights pushed the lead out to eight, and the visitors held a six-point lead after the first period, 22-16.
Aleysha Hill hit an and-one floater at the 5:10 mark in the second period to bring BC back within one, 2-26, but the Tornados were unable to get over the hump as SVU kept the lead and took a five-point edge at halftime, 41-36.
SVU scored the first six points of the second half, forcing a BC timeout at the 6:38 mark as the Knights held a double-digit lead for the first time, 47-36. Petty-Wilkins helped spark a 9-0 Tornado run out of the timeout, as the Tornados cut the deficit back down to two points, 47-45. The Knights found a response, going punch-for-punch with the Tornados to maintain a five-point lead at the end of the third, 61-56.
BC got to within two possessions twice in the fourth quarter, but the Knights never led Brevard get closer, holding out for the eight-point victory, marking the second-straight season that SVU has defeated BC in the Tournament title.
2026 All-Tournament Team
Aysia Foster, Southern Virginia
Dorinda Jordan, N.C. Wesleyan
Analee Morris, Brevard
Jada Petty-Wilkins, Brevard
Maria Savvun, Southern Virginia
Abigail Snyder, Southern Virginia (MVP)
2026 USA South Women's Basketball Tournament Results
(All contests played at the higher-seeded team in the matchup)
First Round - Tuesday, February 24
Game 1: #8 Meredith - 61 #1 Brevard - 83
Game 2: #7 Methodist - 44 #2 Southern Virginia - 71
Game 3: #6 Greensboro - 69 #3 N.C. Wesleyan - 91
Game 4: #5 William Peace - 63 #4 Pfeiffer - 62
Semifinals - Thursday, February 26
#5 William Peace - 77 #1 Brevard - 100
#3 N.C. Wesleyan - 71 #2 Southern Virginia - 74
Final - Saturday, February 28
#2 Southern Virginia - 82 #1 Brevard - 74
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