RALEIGH, NC – The William Peace women's basketball team went ahead, 58-57, at the 7:18 mark after erasing an 11-point Meredith lead, but the Pacers shot only 1-of-11 to close out the game and fell, 70-64.
"It seemed like we were trying to dig ourselves out of a hole all night long. You use a lot of energy doing that, and I think we were tired by the end," explained head coach Kelly Johnson. "Everyone played pretty well but we started slow, got in some foul trouble, and just couldn't quite get over the hump."
Meredith hit their first seven shots for an 11 point (13-2) lead less than four minutes in, but Krystal Williams scored three the old-fashioned way, and then Ka'la Jordan capped a 30 second, 5-0 swing to make it a six point game at the 15:47 mark. WPU (5-10, 2-7 USAS) chipped away and took their first lead (22-21) at the 9:16 mark, but Nicole Miller caught fire and helped lift the Angels to another double-digit lead (39-29) two minutes before half.
Despite allowing Meredith (8-7, 7-2 USAS) to shoot 57.7% (15-of-26) from the field, the Pacers only trailed by six (40-36) going into the break. Miller scored 15 points in the final 8:29 and single-handedly forced the Pacers to abandon their 2-3 zone after hitting three straight from beyond the arc, one of which she banked in from NBA range.
WPU trailed, 46-38, following a 1-of-6 start from the field in the second half. Consecutive threes from Jordan and Williams made it a two point game with 15 minutes left, but a five minute scoring drought keyed a 9-0 Meredith run which put them ahead, 55-44, at the 11:15 mark.
Four minutes later though, the Pacers were back on top, 58-57. Derrica Jones scored five straight to start things off, and then DeJah Cheatham hit back-to-back threes to make it a 57-55 game. Tamara Murphy grabbed an offensive board and was fouled as she put it back up and in. Murphy converted the three-point play to finish off a 14-2 run, but the Angels retook the lead on their next possession and never gave it up.
The Pacers went 12-of-28 (42.9%) from the field in the first half, but their recent shooting struggles returned in the second, as they finished the game shooting 34.4% (21-of-61) from the field. Meredith finished the game shooting 23-of-55 (41.8%).
Jones and Williams led the way for WPU. Jones scored a game high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Williams had 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and a steal. Jordan finished with nine points, four rebounds, an assist, and three steals.
For Meredith, Jessi Hayes had 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Danielle Lee had 15 points and eight boards.
The WPU women's basketball team travels for a pair of conference road games this weekend. The Pacers face Mary Baldwin at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. They will tip-off Sunday at 3:00 p.m. against Ferrum.
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