Lady Hornets’ perseverance pays off with win over Hall
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
The Bryant Lady Hornets put together an 18-2 run to end the first half then hit 8 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes of the game to snap a 10-game losing streak with a hard-earned 56-47 win over the Little Rock Hall Lady Warriors on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
Callie Woods and Amber Gibbs each had 14 points and Bridgette McPeak added 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Hornets to victory. Each of them contributed crucial free throws at the end, along with senior Kayla Pitts.
Despite the fact that Hall’s Jaime Griffin had 16 rebounds including 10 on the offensive end, the Lady Hornets out-rebounded the bigger Lady Warriors 50-42. Jessie Sutton led Bryant with 14 boards.
After trailing 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Hornets found themselves down 17-8 two minutes into the second period when their tell-tale blitz commenced with a free throw by sophomore Jasmine Carter.
Following a Lady Warrior miss, Carter posted up and, off a nice feed from McPeak, pumped in a short jumper. Bryant forced a turnover and Carter cashed it in with Sutton getting the assist.
Free throws by Kristin Alford and Woods tied the game 17-17.
Griffin interrupted with a layup and the Lady Warriors held a 19-17 lead for awhile. But McPeak made a steal and Gibbs drove for a layup to knot it up again. And when McPeak forced a held ball, it led to her 15-foot jumper that put the Lady Hornets ahead to stay.
Gibbs added a free throw then McPeak fed Sutton for a bucket before wrapping up the run with a 12-foot jumper with :17 left in the half, to make it 26-17.
Two free throws by Hall freshman Myisha Johnson made it a 7-point game at the break.
Johnson went on to score a game-high 24 points but she needed 28 shots to get it. She managed the first basket of the second half but when Gibbs hit two more free throws and Woods came through with a three-point play, Bryant had its first double-digit lead with 4:55 left in the third quarter.
A three-point play by Griffin followed but Woods countered with a 3-point jumper.
The teams traded misses but, at Bryant’s end, Hall’s Vanessa Overton pulled down a rebound and was fouled. Despite that, Overton was cited for a technical foul. Woods stepped to the line and hit two more free throws and the Lady Hornets were awarded the ball. Gibbs cashed in with a jumper from the lane and Bryant led 38-24.
It was 41-28 going into the fourth quarter. And going into the final four minutes, the Lady Hornets were still up 47-34. That’s when the Lady Warriors made a push. They cut it to 10 but Pitts came through with a pair of free throws. Moments later, Hall was within 49-41 but Woods was good twice from the line.
Woods would go on to add free throws after two more Hall scores. With :29 left, Hall’s Shondra Wilson cut it to 53-47 with a pair of free throws and the Lady Hornets turned the ball over. But Woods made a steal and, with :17.2 showing, McPeak drained two free throws to bump up the margin to 8. Gibbs added a free throw in the final seconds to set the final score.
