HARTSVILLE, SC – Tenth-ranked Coker grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and held off several comeback attempts by UVA Wise as the Cobras went on to take the 65-49 South Atlantic Conference win Saturday afternoon.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: #10 Coker 65, UVA Wise 49
Records: UVA Wise (7-5, 4-2 SAC); Coker (11-1, 6-0 SAC)
Location: Hartsville, SC | DeLoach Center
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first quarter began with a tight exchange of leads.
Alissa Cheek opened scoring with a free throw, but the Cobras quickly responded with a jumper from Kristynn Knight. Shawnteanna Tillman then helped the Cobras pull away with two 3-pointers, including one at 2:33, contributing to their 17-12 lead by the end of the quarter.
Caroline Mullins kept the Cavs competitive with a 3-pointer at 2:10 and added points in the paint, but Coker's defensive rebounds and Tillman's scoring kept the hosts ahead.
- Coker opened up the second quarter with a 5-0 run including a 3-pointer by Tillman. The Highland Cavaliers responded with
Alissa Cheek's jumper and
Jalie Ruehling's layup to narrow the gap, but Knight extended their advantage with a jumper at 5:37. Mullins fueled a late surge for UVA Wise, scoring five points, including a three-point play at 2:10, before Kamari Thompson ended the quarter with a layup in the final seconds, leaving Coker up 30-25. The teams scored evenly in the quarter with each scoring 13 points.
- In the third quarter, the Cobras extended their lead with a strong start, highlighted by Thompson's layup at 8:56 and Ja'Kea Brunson's fast-break jumper at 8:40.
Mia Nienaber responded for the Highland Cavaliers with a 3-pointer at 8:28, assisted by Ruehling, narrowing the gap to six points. Despite Mullins' layup at 4:43 and
Emilea Preece's basket at 1:13, Coker maintained their momentum with Tillman's three free throws at 3:49 and a jumper by Knight at the buzzer, finishing the quarter with a 45-34 lead over UVA Wise.
- The Cobras opened the fourth quarter with an early 3-pointer by Cayanna Stanley at 9:45, but UVA Wise's
Madison Looney responded for the Cavs with a jumper at 8:33. Despite Looney's efforts, including another jumper at 5:22 assisted by Ruehling, Coker maintained a double-digit lead. Tillman contributed significantly to their scoring with a 3-pointer at 5:40 and a jumper at 3:13.
Shelby Higgins closed out the scoring for the Cavs with a late jumper at 0:05, but Coker went on to the 65-49 victory.
GETTING WISE
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Caroline Mullins led the Cavs with 16 points as the sophomore passed the 500 point mark for her career with 1:41 to go in the first half. She finished the game with 505 career points. Mullins also led the team with eight rebounds and two blocks.
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Madison Looney had 10 points and four rebounds.
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Jalie Ruehling had seven points, five rebounds, and a game-high four steals.
- Coker was led by Tillman's 27 points, while Thompson had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Highland Cavaliers will stay on the road as they travel to Mars Hill on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The game is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
