WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Montreat College women's basketball team outscored Carolina University by 19 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, erasing a significant deficit during the final frame to secure its first win of the campaign, 82-75. Nineteen of the Cavaliers' 35 fourth-quarter points were scored across the final 3:47. With the nonconference result in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Cavs improved to 1-2 on the young season, while the Bruins started the year at 0-1.
A 7-for-7 showing at the free-throw line coupled with an 11-7 rebounding edge enabled the visitors to establish momentum in the contest's opening quarter.
Se'Nai Camper got the scoring started with five straight points, staking Montreat out to a swift 5-0 advantage after 90 seconds of action. CU worked its way to within 9-8, but a pair of free throws from
Sarah Williams, a Camper triple and two
Ayanna Varela makes at the charity stripe extended the margin to 16-10. Continuing to impact the game, Camper later assisted an
EK Walraven 3-pointer. Williams' jumper with 37 seconds left in the frame ensured a 23-18 lead for the Cavaliers entering the second period.
The Bruins forced six turnovers in the second quarter, but
Kailah Crawford helped keep the away side in front with a tip-in bucket and two free throws midway through the frame. Carolina trimmed the gap to just a single point at 27-26, but an 8-0 response handed the Cavs some breathing room. Camper, Walraven and Crawford contributed layups down the stretch, and Williams drained a pair of baskets across the half's final 100 seconds. Those efforts kept the Cavaliers on top, 39-35, heading into the intermission.
Varela's make at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter proved to be Montreat's last for a nearly five-minute stretch. CU dominated the period, notching a 17-0 run across 4:20 that converted a one-point hole into a 16-point cushion (59-43). Crawford's layup halted the spurt, but the Bruins still outscored the Cavs in the frame, 24-8. Another Crawford shot slashed the visitors' deficit to 59-47 by the quarter's conclusion.
Trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth frame, the Cavaliers completely flipped the script during the contest's final period. Down 62-47,
Kara Connor started and ended a 14-0 charge that nearly eliminated Carolina's lead. The Bruins regained their footing, punching back with an 8-0 run to go ahead by nine points with just over four minutes to go; however, the Cavs had another massive swing left in the tank. Thirteen consecutive points, including
Nuria Rubio's 3-point make off an assist from Camper, gave Montreat the lead for good. Williams and Camper cashed five free throws down the stretch, and the visiting team rode a resounding 35-16 fourth-quarter performance to an 82-75 victory.
"It wasn't pretty, but I'm so proud of this group for being so resilient through the runs of the game," said Head Coach
Jamie Moore. "We had a big showing from freshman
Kailah Crawford, who scored 14 points in her first college game.
Sarah Williams carried us through a really physical, high-pressure game and brought us stability on offense. We also relied heavily on freshman
Kara Connor for solid defense, which is what ultimately flipped the game and gave us a big run to finish on top."
On the night, the Cavaliers shot 45.8 percent from the field (27-59 FG), 16.7 percent from deep (3-18 3-pt FG) and 80.6 percent at the line (25-31 FT). Defensively, Montreat limited its opposition to shooting just 38.5 percent overall (30-78 FG), 23.1 percent from beyond the arc (6-26 3-pt FG) and 56.3 percent from the stripe (9-16 FT). The Bruins ended the matchup with more assists (16-9) and steals (13-8), but the Cavs capitalized on 15 extra trips to the free-throw line (31-16) and 11 more points off turnovers (25-14).
Williams led all players with 26 points, making seven field goals and 12 free throws. Camper stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Crawford added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and collected six rebounds, including four offensive boards. Walraven posted 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Up next, the Montreat College women's basketball team hosts Voorhees University on Monday, Nov. 2, for its home opener. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. at McAlister Gymnasium in Montreat, N.C.
