Suffocating Defense Leads Lions to Win Over Brevard

MARS HILL, N.C. – A stingy defense and timely shooting proved to be just enough as the Mars Hill women's basketball team downed the Brevard College Tornado 57-53 on Wednesday, February 10 inside the friendly confines of Stanford Arena. The Lions improve to 12-10 overall with an 11-6 conference mark while BC falls to 1-20, 0-17.

Ansley Ricker paced the Lions with a team-high 15 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals, and three assists. Cadence Wilmoth turned in another solid performance with 14 points and seven boards. Kelsey Espinosa just missed out on a double-double as she chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds. Genice Lane added seven points and six boards.

The Lions defense held Brevard to a miserable 19-62 from the field for 30.6% while forcing 15 turnovers, turning those takeaways into 16 points. Mars Hill also came up with seven blocks as a team with Wilmoth tallying four of those.

Brevard opened the game on a quick 8-4 after a three from Hadara Bannister at the 5:40 mark of the opening period. However, six consecutive points from the Lions staked the home team to a 10-8 lead heading into the first media timeout. Ricker beat the buzzer to give the Blue and Gold a 14-10 advantage after one.

A basket and a foul followed by a deep three and two free throws fueled an 8-0 spurt to open the second quarter for the Tornado, giving them an 18-14 lead. Shakira Allen put a stop to that run as she collected a hoop-and-harm with a strong drive to the basket, cutting the BC lead to a single point, 18-17, with just under five minutes remaining before the half.

Allen provided a pivotal spark for off the bench for the Lions in the first 20 minutes, chipping in a team-high seven points and the two teams went into the intermission tied at 26.

The two teams exchanged the initial eight points of the third quarter before a pair of free throws from Wilmoth at the 5:59 mark sparked a 12-5 run that gave Mars Hill its biggest lead of 42-35 with four minutes left in quarter number three. However, a 7-1 run from Brevard saw the margin narrowed to 43-42 to start the fourth quarter.

The Lions decided to attack the paint to begin the final stanza and it paid immediate dividends, collecting the first six points of the fourth to extend the lead to 49-42, forcing a quick timeout from Brevard. The Tornado cut into the lead with a 9-4 run before Espinosa hit a big 15-foot jumper with less than a minute to play to give the Lions a four point lead.

Brevard showed its poise and made a layup on the other end and got a defensive stop to set up a chance to tie by making a deuce or win with a trey with 18.7 remaining in regulation. Madison Lenox got a great look at the top of the key for the win but the ball just would not go down, hitting every part of the rim before falling into the arms of Genice Lance. Ricker sealed the deal with a pair of free throws and the Lions escaped with 57-53 win.

The Lions will return to action on Saturday, February 13 as they head to the Queen City of Charlotte, N.C. to take on the Royals of Queens University. The contest is tentatively scheduled to start at 2 p.m.