An exciting Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup unfolded Tuesday evening as the Bryan College Lady Lions made a short trip to Athens, Tenn. to take on the 23rd ranked Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan. For one of the first times this season, Bryan found themselves down until late in the third quarter. As both teams battled for numerous lead changes, neither could pull ahead as the fourth quarter ended 67-67. Overwhelming the Bulldogs 17-7 in overtime, the Lady Lions sealed the 84-74 win to move to a perfect overall record of 9-0 and stay undefeated in AAC play at 3-0.
The Bulldogs drop to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Freshman guard Cheyenne Shaver, led all scorers and registered a season-high 22 points, along with grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Shaver finished 5-11 from behind the arc. Keila Formont and Amber Levi collected 12 points apiece, and both Megan Billingsby and Brandi Whitted ended with nine points, respectively. Whitted also served as the assist-leader with five.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with a three-pointer in their first possession of the ballgame. The Lions tried to claw their way to a lead, but each time Tennessee Wesleyan managed to keep separation. The Bulldogs created their largest lead of the first quarter midway through going up 17-9, but the Lions countered with back-to-back long-range baskets from Whitted and Shaver to cut the deficit to two. Bryan trailed by three points with one minute left in the first quarter, but a Jara Gasper three-pointer put Tennessee Wesleyan up 25-19 headed into the first break. The Lions struggled early, shooting 38% from the floor compared to 66% from the Bulldogs.
Two minutes into the second quarter the Bulldogs went 4-4 from the free throw line to take a ten-point lead, 32-22. The Lion’s Maebry McNeese followed up with consecutive baskets, but as the half ended the Bulldogs maintained a 37-29 lead.
The game-changer came when the Lions were down 43-32 in the beginning of the third quarter. Bryan rallied for an 11-0 run to tie the game up 43-43. Levi did her part to start the run, hitting a shot from the foul line. Next Bryan possession Levi wasn’t finished, catching a pass from Brandi Whitted and draining the outside shot. Formont found Billingsby inside for the easy bucket, and Shaver scored the next five points to level the score. Kaylee Smith’s lone three-pointer of the contest gave the Lions their first lead of the game, 47-48. Bryan held onto a 49-54 lead, but a buzzer-beater three-pointer from the Bulldogs brought the score within two at the end of the third quarter.
Tennessee Wesleyan began the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run to regain the lead. After several ties, a Formont score gave the Lions a 61-66 lead with four minutes left to play. Tennessee Wesleyan nailed two crucial three-pointers in the next two Bulldog’s possessions to gain a 67-66 edge over Bryan. All pressure was on Billingsby as she made her way to the free throw line with 1:19 left on the clock. She sank the first and leveled the score 67-67. Missing the second one, the Bulldogs corralled the rebound. Both teams managed one more look apiece at what would have been the game-winner, but the Billingsby free throw pushed the teams into extra time.
Formont set the tone for the Lions as she scored four straight points in the beginning of overtime. McNeese aided the Lion’s run with a basket of her own. With two minutes left in overtime, the Bulldogs cut the Bryan lead to three, making it 74-77. For the last minutes of overtime it was all Bryan, as they turned up the pressure and ended the game with a 7-0 run. Billingsby got things going for the Lions after finishing the “and 1” play. Levi and Allison sealed the win for the Lions with made free throws, giving Bryan the 74-84 victory.
Head Bryan College Women’s Basketball Coach, Jason Smith, explained a few aspects of the game that he knew the Lions needed to focus on if they were to top the Bulldogs. Smith said, “I told my assistant coach before the game that we needed a good game from Cheyenne tonight to get the win, and she finally delivered. We struggled to guard their read and react offense early, but we settled down and changed some matchups that helped us get back into the game.”
The Lions looked to their captains for the extra support needed to reenergize their play, and Smith mentioned, “Two of our captains, Keila and Megan, gave us some big-time leadership in the locker room at the break and on the court in the second half, each scoring 12 points apiece in the last half.”
“Amber and Maebry were big contributors to the win as well,” stated Smith. “I am proud of this team for matching Wesleyan’s intensity and pushing through adversity.”
The Lions next game is Nov. 30th at 6pm in Cleveland, Tenn. as the Lions take on the Lee University Flames in an exhibition matchup.
For the full Bryan College Women’s Basketball schedule, visit bryanlions.com/wbb.