ALBANY, N.Y. – The Villa Maria College women's basketball team traveled to Bryant and Stratton-Albany on Tuesday as they played their fourth game in five days, but that did not seem to impact them. The Vikings defense forced 32 turnovers and took advantage of a strong second quarter as they defeated the Bobcats 64-56. Villa now has a record of 11-1 on the season, as Bryant and Stratton College falls to 3-9.
The Vikings fell behind 7-2 in the opening minutes of play, but back-to-back makes by
Bianca Brown tied the game at 7-7 and a few minutes later,
Jordon Wright pushed the team ahead 13-10 with a shot from behind the arc. Villa maintained a lead until the 55 second mark, when the Bobcats hit a pair of free throws to go up one point, but
Norvonee Hall finished a tough layup 14 seconds later to give the team a 17-16 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter was the difference in the game, as the Vikings outscored the opposition 21-6 in ten minutes of play.
Tekia Gary and Hall combined to score the opening seven points and pushed the teams lead to 24-16. With 4:20 to play,
Dakaylah Winfield knocked down a pair of layups to increase the advantage to double-digits. Defensively, Villa only allowed three points in the final 3:23 of the half, which allowed them to take a 38-22 lead into half time.
The Bobcats fought back to start the second-quarter and cut their deficit to 12, but Hall quickly knocked down a jumper and a layup to bring their lead back up to 16. The opposition continued to score and attempt to mount a comeback, but timely makes by Hall and then a three-pointer by Brown kept them ahead 48-35 as they went into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Bryant and Stratton went on a tear to cut the deficit to single digits at the 6:30 mark and then cut it to just two points with 2:26 on the clock. Winfield pushed the lead to five with a clutch three and then
Taliah Bush converted a layup to do the same at the 1:22 mark. The Bobcats began to foul and the Vikings did a good job to convert free-throws and walked away with a 64-56 victory.
Hall led the way with 22 points in 31 minutes of play, while also grabbing 12 rebounds and recording two steals. Brown was a key piece, playing 23 minutes off of the bench as she scored 13 points and brought in seven rebounds.
The Vikings will play their final home game before the New Year on Wednesday, Dec. 18 as they host Bryant and Stratton-Ohio. The matchup is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
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