Franklin Springs, GA – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Emmanuel Lions on Tuesday evening in an 80-67 final score.
The Warriors shot 32.7% from the field and were 80.6% from the free throw line. Taylin Smith led the team with 17 points while Lexie Ransom collected 14. Southern Wesleyan totaled 12 assists with Alexis Glover leading the team with three.
Southern Wesleyan pulled down 21 rebounds. Kaliah Kendrick had four rebounds. Both Rahkhia Mack and Lexie Ransom followed her with three. Of the nine steals, Kendrick had three.
Game Vitals
Final: Emmanuel 80, Southern Wesleyan 67
Records: Southern Wesleyan (5-12 / CC 2-11) Emmanuel (7-12 / CC 6-6)
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan went on the offensive early in the game as Rahkhia Mack passed the ball under the net to Alexis Glover. Glover laid the ball up into the basket to give the Warriors the early lead. A foul by Maddie Futch sent Glover to the free throw line seconds later. Glover sunk both her shots to extend the Warriors lead to four. Abby Crawford laid the ball up to cut Southern Wesleyan's lead in half. A three pointer by Crawford shortly afterwards allowed Emmanuel to take the lead, but it was short lived as Peyton Looky put up a shot to regain the Warriors advantage. With just over five minutes left in the quarter, Crawford fouled Lexie Ransom to send her to the charity stripe. Ransom sunk both of her shots to extend the Warriors lead to three. Emmanuel pushed on as a foul by the Warriors allowed Maddie Futch to earn two points for the Lions. DeYana Hayes sent the ball out beyond the arc to Peyton Looky who sunk her first three of the game to put the Warriors on top 12-9. Emmanuel took the lead on a layup by Naomi Roberts, but Kyra Price laid the ball up to tie the game up at fourteen.
Emmanuel kicked off the second quarter with back-to-back baskets by Lizzie Teasley and Maddie Futch to take the lead. However, Lexie Ransom laid the ball up into the basket seconds later to tie the game up once again. With just over eight minutes on the clock, Ransom fired off a three to put the Warriors back on top. The Lions pushed on as Lizzie Teasley knocked down a three and then Naomi Roberts made a layup. A three pointer by Natalee Goff allowed the Lions to extend their lead to nine. Southern Wesleyan would not relent as back-to-back three pointers by Kyra Price and Kaliah Kendrick put the Warriors back within three of the Lions. A last second three by Goff allowed Emmanuel to lead 37-31 going into the locker room.
Emmanuel continued their pressure in the third quarter as Abby Crawford sunk a three pointer. Taylin Smith took the ball all the way to the rim for a layup. DeYana Hayes passed the ball under the net to Lexie Ransom who laid it up to keep the Warriors within six. Emmanuel would not relent as they kept the Warriors off the board for a couple minutes while extending their lead to fourteen. Free throws by Rahkhia Mack, Taylin Smith and Kaliah Kendrick allowed the Warriors to come back to within eight. With just over two minutes left on the clock, Smith knocked down a three pointer.
To kick off the final quarter, Lizzie Teasley fouled Taylin Smith as she attempted another three pointer to send her to the free throw line. Smith knocked down all three attempts at the line. Naomi Roberts laid the ball up, but a layup by Taylin Smith allowed the Warriors to come back to within twelve. Alexis Glover sent the ball out beyond the arc to Lexie Ransom who knocked down a three. Emmanuel pushed on, but Glover laid the ball up into the basket. The Lions went on to win the game in an 80-67 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will remain on the road on February 3 as they travel to Greenville, SC to take on the Bob Jones Bruins. The Warriors will return to Central, SC on February 5 to host the Converse Valkyries at 5pm. They will then travel to Bristol, TN to take on the King Tornado on February 8.
