Central, SC – The Warriors fell in a hard fought battle against the North Greenville Trailblazers on Tuesday afternoon in an 85-81 final score.
Southern Wesleyan shot 41.3% form the field and were 36.8% from beyond the arc in the loss to the Trailblazers. Five Warriors posted double digits in the game with Peyton Looky leading the team with 18 points. Makayla Raines was right behind her with 16 points. Savanna Nicholson and DeYana Hayes each scored 12 points and Lexie Ransom was the final Warrior in double figures with 10 points. Emily Gamon had three of the nine assists in the game.
The Warriors pulled down 37 rebounds with DeYana Hayes leading the team with seven rebounds. Behind her, Peyton Looky had six rebounds and Makayla Raines had five. The Warriors stole the ball away from the Trailblazers 12 times in the game. Hayes was award four steals, while Raines had three.
Game Vitals
Final: North Greenville 85, Southern Wesleyan 81
Records: Southern Wesleyan (2-8 / CC 1-4) North Greenville 6-5 / CC 3-2)
How It Happened
The Warriors charged out of the gate as Makayla Raines collected the opening tip-off and quickly took the ball all the way to the basket. Seconds later, the Trailblazers tied it up on a layup by Jayla Cook, but it was not enough as Peyton Looky got up a layup of her own to allow the Warriors to regain the advantage. North Greenville took the lead as Quinn Johnston stole the ball away from the Warriors and sent it down the court to Cook. Cook laid the ball up into the basket to give the Trailblazers a 7-4 point lead. However, Lexie Ransom knocked down back-to-back three points to put Southern Wesleyan back on top. With just over two minutes left in the quarter, Amiyah Ware hit a three pointer, but Southern Wesleyan answered with a three pointer out of the hands of Savanna Nicholson.
Southern Wesleyan kicked off the second quarter with a layup by Peyton Looky. Looky was fouled in the process to earn the and-one basket. Julia Edwards tipped the ball into the basket off a rebound to keep North Greenville within one point of the Warriors. Esther Cole collected a rebound and laid the ball right back up into the basket. With just over four minutes on the clock, Lexie Ransom put up her third three-pointer of the game to give the Warriors a one point lead. Layups out of the hands of Danielle Earley allowed the Warriors to take a 36-32 point lead going into the locker rooms.
The Trailblazers started strong in the third quarter as Maliyah Mason laid the ball up to put them within two points of the Warriors. However, the Warriors answered as Makayla Raines got up a layup of her own from in the paint. Raines continued her attacks at the net as she laid the ball up again. North Greenville continued to press as Isabel Waite hit a three pointer. Janyia Williams and Austin Johnson each got the ball into the basket, but the Warriors answered as Danielle Earley passed the ball out to Peyton Looky. Looky stepped beyond the arc and hit a three pointer to maintain the Warriors seven point lead. North Greenville continued to chip away at the Warriors lead until Amiyah Ware stole the ball away from the Warriors and laid it up into the basket to tie the game up at fifty-seven.
Savanna Nicholson took the ball all the way to the basket early in the final quarter to allow the Warriors to regain the lead. North Greenville would not back down though as Kayla Gaston knocked down a three pointer. After a missed shot, DeYana Hayes came down with the rebound and put it right back up into the basket. With just over seven minutes on the clock, Peyton Looky got the ball out to Savanna Nicholson. Nicholson got up to sink a three pointer to put Southern Wesleyan back on top by four. The Trailblazers went on the offensive as Ja'sia Booth and Quinn Johnson each got up shots. Makayla Raines stole the ball away though and took it coast-to-coast for a layup. With under a minute on the clock, Maliyiah Mason laid the ball up into the basket. The Trailblazers persevered as several late free throws allowed them to take the game in an 85-81 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will hit the road to Lakeland, FL on December 19-20 to take part in the Mocs Christmas Classic. The Warriors will take on Florida Southern on December 19 before taking on Eckerd College on the 20th. They will then take a break for the Holidays before resuming on December 30 and January 1 where they will take part in exhibition games against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Wofford College.
