Goree, Bishops Tame Pride in USA South Play, 60-57

Shanice Goree
Shanice Goree

Greensboro, N.C. - North Carolina Wesleyan held homestanding Greensboro College to just 20 second-half points en route to a 60-57 USA South women's basketball victory over the Pride on Saturday. Junior guard Shanice Goree (pictured) got hot at the right time, knocking down a pair of key three-pointers in the second half to help her Bishops secure the win and move to 3-1 in conference play.

Saturday's game was a tale of two halves as it was the Pride who held a 37-23 lead at the break. Greensboro had opened the game with an 8-0 run that came to a halt with a Leann Breeden trey at the 16-minute mark, sparking an 8-0 spurt by the Bishops. Tied 8-8 and later at 17-17, the Pride out-scored NCWC 20-6 over the final seven minutes of the half for their 14-point advantage at intermission.

In the second half, the Pride struggled offensively but still maintained a 42-32 lead until another Breeden three-pointer at the 13:13 mark ignited a pivotal 20-6 Bishop run that put NCWC on top 52-48 with 8:28 to go. The rally saw Goree net 10 of her team-high 12 points, while fellow junior Monet Edwards also came up big with a jumper and trey of her own.

From there, the game featured four lead changes over the final six minutes, but a jumper by Bishop sophomore NeTaih Davis would put her team on top for good, 58-57, with 49 seconds left. Tiffany Bell proceeded to seal the victory with a pair of free throws down the stretch.

The win over GC (6-4, 2-2 USA South) snapped a three-game Bishop skid and came on the heels of a tough 63-56 road loss at Methodist on Friday night.

Similar to Saturday, the Bishops started slow versus the Monarchs and fell behind 12-0 early. Wesleyan rebounded to out-score MU (7-2, 3-0 USA South) 22-20 the rest of the half, and then 34-31 over the final 20 minutes. The Monarchs' initial run, however, proved to be the difference-maker as NCWC got no closer than the 7-point final margin of defeat.

Bell paced the Bishops with a team-high 11 points, while Edwards chipped in nine. Senior Samantha Urquhart grabbed 10 rebounds on the night.

Wesleyan (4-7, 3-1 USA South) returns to action on Wednesday night when the Bishops travel to USA South foe Averett University for a 7:00pm tip-off with the Cougars.