Box Score The Maryville College Scots used a stingy defense in the final 10 minutes, as well as a career high from Rachel Hawn to overcome an 11-point deficit and continue their 15-game winning streak.
A flurry of Maryville turnovers gave Methodist (2-12, 2-6 USA South) an opening, as the Monarchs took advantage for a 46-35 lead with just 6:01 remaining in the game.
Over the next six minutes, Head Coach Darrin Travillian turned up his team's defensive effort after a timeout. Behind the team's fierce full-court press, the Scots rallied for an 18-2 run over the final six minutes — holding Methodist scoreless over the final 4:39 to secure the 53-48 USA South win.
"I'm so proud of my girls tonight," Travillian said. "We dug ourselves a hole, but we kept digging in and believing. We finally applied enough pressure to turn the game around in the closing minutes."
Maryville's Mindy Brackins came alive during the comeback surge, bucketing eight of the Scots' 18 points. She hit 3-of-3 free throws, a trey and an old-fashioned 3-pointer.
Lauren Trent and Alex Bond each converted on long-range shots, while Bond and Hawn netted lay-ups. Jordan Ballard also tallied three charity tosses in the final run.
The come-from-behind victory continues the Scots' historic start, moving their record to 16-1. That start ranks as the best in school history for the women's basketball team, topping the 14-1 mark set in 2012-13.
Maryville's defense stepped to the plate, on a night the team could only muster a 32.8 percent outing (20-of-61), while the Scots could only convert on 4-of-20 long-range shots (20 percent).
Maryville converted 9-of-10 free throws, two of those coming from Ballard in the final two seconds, while the Monarchs could only convert on 7-of-14 attempts.
Hawn led all scorers with her career-high 16 points. She added six rebounds to her total, as well. Brackins totaled 14 points for Maryville, while Linley Dunn tallied eight.
Bond had five points, six rebounds and two assists, while Ballard had three points, three steals, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Trent added three points of her own, with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Mackenzie Puckett and Joanna Young each added two points.
For Methodist, it was Sydney Bryan that led the way with 10 points. Jalisa Campbell pulled down 11 rebounds to go with her seven points off the bench, while Jasmine Canaday and Bryan each tallied three blocks.
Maryville advances to 8-0 within the USA South, ranking first within the conference's South Division rankings. They will travel to Southern Division foe Piedmont (14-2, 7-1) on Saturday for a 4 p.m. start.
