Women's Basketball Slashes Montreat

Athens, Tenn.- The women's basketball team played their first game after the holiday break on Tuesday. The team hosted the Montreat College Lady Cavaliers in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest for their first game of the 2023 portion of the schedule.

Tennessee Wesleyan converted their first five shots of the game, giving them a 10-0 lead. Jacelyn Stone (twice), Anna Crowder, Jordan Wright, and Cambree Mayo all scored to give the team the double-digit advantage. By the midway point of the first quarter, the lead grew to 21-6 after scores by Mikalee Martin, Wright, and Mayo. The quarter ended with points by Yeika Jimenez Diaz, Alexis Bates, and Stone moving the lead to 27-12.

After a Crowder basket to open the second quarter with 9:02 on the clock, the offensive explosion cooled down a bit. The next points did not go on the board until a Jimenez Diaz layup made the lead 19 points. The lead moved over the 20-point mark on Wright's jumper, making the score 33-12. Four more points in the second quarter by Stone helped the team lead 37-16 at the halftime break. The defense of the Lady Bulldogs only allowed four points in the second quarter.

Wright opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to make the score 40-16. Crowder, Jimenez Diaz, and Ella Crowder added points over the next few minutes, making the scoreboard read 46-24. A three-pointer from Mayo and a layup by A. Crowder helped the team take a 51-29 lead into the final quarter of play.

The team continued to hold on to their comfortable margin in the fourth quarter through scores by Martin, A. Crowder, and Jimenez Diaz. Mayo's three-pointer with 4:40 remaining in the game brought the team to the 60-point mark, and a jumper by Jaci Powell along with back-to-back baskets by Sierra Bates helped the team to a 66-40 victory. The margin of victory represented the largest lead of the game.

Wright led the offense with 15 points in the contest while A. Crowder and Stone added 10 points a piece. A. Crowder also led on the boards with seven rebounds. The defense of the Lady Bulldogs held the opponents to 25.9% shooting from the field and had 12 steals in the game.

TWU (8-4, 6-4 AAC) will be back in action on Thursday for a home conference game against Johnson University. The game is set to tip at 5:30 p.m.