DECATUR, Ga.—Brevard College Women's Basketball used a strong second half to complete a comeback over Agnes Scott College on a cold, rainy Saturday in Decatur. The Scotties took a one-point lead into the break, but third-quarter woes continued to haunt the home side as Brevard (6-2, 2-1 USA South) used an early run to reclaim the advantage for good in a 52-41 win.
The first quarter was a quiet one collectively as it took nearly three minutes before either team put a point on the scoreboard. The Tornados led throughout the opening quarter after getting on the board first and held the Scotties to 2-of-14 shooting. Agnes Scott nearly tied the game at six with just two minutes to go in the opening period when a series of unfortunate events turned a missed layup into a transition triple for the Tornados, giving Brevard a 9-5 lead after one.
The Scotties were an entirely different team in the second quarter as first-year Briana Holland (Austell, Ga.) started to come alive off the dribble. The diminutive point guard's spunky handles sparked the Scotties into attacking the paint each time down the floor. Holland scored 10 first-year points, eight of which came in the second quarter, as Agnes Scott came all the way back to take a 22-21 halftime advantage.
For the second time in three games, an opponent keyed in on the third quarter to shake up the Scotties' momentum. Agnes Scott turned the ball over on four of its first five possessions, which led directly to six Brevard points on the other end. Holland, whose first half kept the Scotties in control at times, scored the first points of the second half for the home team two minutes into the third.
Despite forcing a handful of turnovers, Brevard was never able to fully pull away from the Scotties—a credit to the Agnes' defensive effort throughout the day.
However, Agnes Scott was unable to replicate the flurry of scoring it accomplished in the second quarter. The Scotties were able to cut the deficit to three points with eight minutes remaining in regulation when Emma Olson (Austin, Texas) used a nice move to undercut her defender. But the Tornados used another 5-0 run, including a back-breaking three-pointer from Annalee Bollinger (Hickory, N.C.) to keep the Scotties from thinking about a comeback.
Free throws and turnovers ended up as the story for the Scotties, whose defense gave them a chance for their first win of the season. ASC committed 30 turnovers compared to only nine by the Brevard. The Scotties also shot 10-of-27 from the free throw line, many of the misses coming at pivotal times in the second half as they tried to climb back into the game.
Bollinger had a quietly effective game, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds for the Tornados. Destiny Williams (Aiken, S.C.) finished with 11 and seven.
Holland had a career-high 14 points and four rebounds for Agnes Scott, leading them in the former. Olson, another first-year, nearly topped off her first collegiate double-double by piling up nine points to go with 11 rebounds. Garis Grant (Charleston, S.C.) had a season-high 16 rebounds but was held to only two attempts from the field in the second half.
Agnes Scott outrebounded Brevard 54-39 for the contest.
The Scotties (0-7) will hope to turn things around on Sunday when they host Berea for another 2 p.m. USA South Conference start.