Boxscore
MURFREESBORO, N.C. - Senior center Keyona Bryant (Springdale, Md.) played one of her finest games as a Saint Augustine's College player, finishing with 21 points and 18 rebounds, but it was teammate Victoria Davis (San Diego, Calif.) who hit the game-winning shot with 0.8 seconds left to hand the Lady Falcons a thrilling 65-63 win over Chowan Monday (Jan. 16) at the Helms Center on Martin Luther King Day.
The exciting victory was the fifth in a row for the Lady Falcons, who are 5-0 in the CIAA and 10-5 overall. It was the first league road game for the Lady Falcons, who got a career-high 16 points from Davis, a sophomore forward, and 13 points and seven rebounds from senior guard Keianna Evans (Fayetteville, N.C.).
With time running down, Davis drove right from the free-throw line where she was met by two defenders near the baseline. She lofted a soft shot just outside the lane, and the ball hit the rim once before dropping in. Chowan attempted a desperation heave underneath the Lady Falcons goal which fell near midcourt. The miss sparked a celebration among the Lady Falcon players.
The game-winning shot stopped a late comeback attempt by the Hawks (6-9, 1-4 CIAA), who trailed 60-47 with 4:45 left in the second half. With 27 seconds left, Ransheda Jennings of the Hawks nailed a bank shot to tie the score at 63-63, setting up Davis' heroics after a Lady Falcon timeout.
The second half featured runs by both teams after a 27-27 halftime tie. The Lady Falcons scored the half's first seven points and opened a 10-point lead only to watch the Hawks trim the lead to two at the midway point. After a timeout, the Falcons went on a 13-2 run fueled by six points from Bryant for a 60-47 lead. The Hawks responded with their own rally before the climatic ending.
Jennings led the Hawks with 20 points followed by Lynch with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Janelle Murphy with 15 points. For the Lady Falcons, sophomore guard Ebony Spencer (Chesapeake, Va.) had eight points and five rebounds while junior guard Jolisa Williams (Charles City, Va.) scored seven points for the Lady Falcons, who won the battle on the offensive glass 26-12 for 28 second-chance points. Bryant led the way on the boards with nine offensive rebounds.
The Lady Falcons are back home Thursday when they host Elizabeth City State University at Emery Gymnasium in a much anticipated CIAA matchup. Game time is 5:30 p.m.
