LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews University women’s basketball team used their home crowd and constant pressure to edge out rival Montreat College, 61-56, for their fifth win of the season Wednesday.
Montreat only managed to shoot 34 percent in the first half while SAU struggled to shoot just 22 percent as Montreat took a 27-24 halftime lead. St. Andrews then came out on fire in the third quarter exploding for 21 points as they would dominate the third quarter to the tune of a 21-7 rout to take a 45-34 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Knights shot 90 percent from the free-throw line to clinch the win. Montreat abandoned their jump shot and shot 44 percent on transition layups in the second half. St. Andrews forced 25 turnovers on 13 steals.
Montreat made a run in the fourth quarter and were able to cut the Lady Knights lead to two points, 56-54. However, St. Andrews refused to wilt under the pressure as freshman point guard LeeAysia Williamson led her team down the stretch.
Williamson drained clutch free throws and three huge three-pointers to finish the game with 22 points. The freshman also had a season-high five assists with three rebounds and a steal. Williamson has scored 148 points in her last six games, to average 24.7 points per game.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Houser was the other player for the Lady Knights to put up double figures. Houser had a career game with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range along with three steals. Houser and Williamson combined for 37 of St. Andrew’s 61 total points on the day.
Junior forward Ellen Dukes contributed nine rebounds and four steals defensively. Senior guard Kayla Johnson added seven points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win. Freshmen Victoria Washington and Kayla Smith combined for 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Lady Knights improve to 5-13 overall and 2-11 with the win, bringing an end to their losing streak. Montreat falls to 9-8 and 5-7 in the conference.
St. Andrews is back on the road traveling to South Carolina to take on AAC opponent Allen University for the first-time in school history on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Knights roll past Montreat
LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews University men’s basketball team found their shooting stroke to upend rival Montreat College, 91-85 in front of a packed gym Wednesday.
With the win, St. Andrews improved to 5-6 in the conference with their second straight win and 6-11 overall. Montreat falls out of second place in the standings with a 7-4 conference record and 14-4 overall.
The Knights shot 39 percent in the first half to take a 41-37 lead into the locker room. St. Andrews was able to edge out Montreat 50-48 in the second half to seal their victory. The Knights shot 55 percent while holding Montreat to just 16 percent shooting from 3-point range and 27 percent overall. Montreat struggled from the free-throw line shooting just 59 percent while St. Andrews shot 70 percent from the line and 46 percent overall. St. Andrews forced 17 turnovers and only committed 11 themselves with nine steals.
The Knights had four players finish in double-figures — Connor Zinaich, Lee Vanderhorst, Jordan Sharpe and Walter Smalls.
Freshman forward Connor Zinaich had a huge game offensively scoring 23 points with six rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block. Senior guard Lee Vanderhorst led the Knights with his three 3-pointers as he shot 3-of-5 from behind the arc to finish with 14 points, four rebounds, and an assist.
Zinaich is averaging 17.7 points per game and Vanderhorst is right behind him, averaging 16 points per game.
Senior guard Jordan Sharpe and senior forward Walter Smalls also played well. Sharpe went 4 of 4 from the field for 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Smalls finished with a career high of 16 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Junior forward Jordan Hines then led the team in rebounds with seven while pouring in eight points and team-best three steals.
Guards Titus Gary and Jourdan Sanders also combined for 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists as Gary hit clutch free throws down the stretch.
The Knights will now travel to first year conference opponent Allen University (S.C.) for a 4 p.m match-up Saturday.