Mufreesboro, NC – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Chowan Hawks in an 81-55 final score on Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors shot 34.5% from the field and went 56.3% from the free throw line.  Emily Waters led the team with 15 points.  She was followed by Tanayja Williams with 14 points.  Four Warriors recorded three assists.  Southern Wesleyan had 26 rebounds during the game.  Williams led the team with six rebounds.  She was followed by Halee Morrison with five and Madi Hartgrove with four.  The Warriors had four steals with Lisana Burnett leading the team with two.  Burnett went on to lead the team with two of the three blocks of the afternoon.

Game Vitals

Final: Chowan 81, Southern Wesleyan 55

Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-18 / CC 1-12) Chowan (4-14 / 4-10)

Coach Davis says...

"In the first half, Mariah Coker and their rebounding advantage hurt us.  I was proud of how we competed in the third quarter and how we continued to play throughout.  We missed a lot of early open opportunities, but this team is working to get better on the court from within."

How It Happened

The Hawks took the first points of the game as Keibra Hopkins passed the ball to Mariah Coker who put up a 3-pointer, however the Warriors countered on a layup by Lisana Burnett to put the score at 3-2.  Chowan pushed ahead but a jump shot by Emily Waters put the Warriors back within one point.  Southern Wesleyan continued to challenge as Caroline Reese passed the ball over to Madi Hartgrove who hit a three pointer to make the score 9-12.

Chowan continued to push their lead ahead as Monique Jones made a layup to kick-off the second quarter.  However, a layup by Tanayja Williams and free throw by Emily Waters allowed the Warriors to come to 15-29 behind the Hawks.  Southern Wesleyan would not be discouraged as Waters made a layup to keep the Warriors within fourteen points.  The Hawks led 41-25 at the half.

The Hawks kicked off the second half with a 3-point jump shot by Jones to extend their lead to 25-44.  Southern Wesleyan countered with a layup by Tanayja Williams.  Back-to-back layups by Emily Waters allowed the Warriors to cut the Hawks lead to 31-48.  Despite the Hawks leading by eighteen points, Caroline Reese hit a three pointer to cut their lead to fifteen.  Chowan continued to push ahead, but the Warriors continued to put up a fight as Aynastee Frederick made a layup to put the Warriors down 43-59 at the end of three quarters.

Southern Wesleyan kicked off the final quarter with a jump shot by Tanayja Williams to make the score 45-59.  Free throws by Emily Waters kept the Warriors within fifteen points to the Hawks.  The Warriors continued to push ahead on a layup by Waters to put the score at 51-72.  A layup and free throws by Halee Morrison put the Warriors down 55-75.  Chowan went on to win the game 55-81.

What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will return to Historic Tysinger Gymnasium on January 29 as they host the Emmanuel College Lions at 5:30 p.m.  They remain at home on February 1 to host the Limestone Saints.  The Warriors will then travel to Franklin Springs, GA to play the Emmanuel Lions for the second time this season.