Box Score The No. 15 Maryville College Scots couldn't hold off a late rally by the Greensboro College Pride, as MC fell in the USA South Athletic Conference Championship game, 69-66.
The game marks only the third loss for Maryville this season, as the Scots finish as the 2014-15 USA South Runners Up.
Maryville College's Mackenzie Puckett and Mindy Brackins both made the USA South All-Tournament team for their efforts during the tournament.
Puckett posted an average of 18.3 points per game over the tournament's three contests, while shooting 53.9 percent (21-of-39) from the floor. The junior forward averaged six rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. Puckett also shot 70.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Brackins scored 26 points in the tournament, averaging nearly nine points a game. She also had six rebounds, three assists and six steals.
Maryville came out hot in the opening minutes of the game, taking advantage of 10 Greensboro turnovers, while shooting an incredible 63.6 percent from the floor going 7-of-11. Through that first 6:00, MC posted three treys on their way to an 18-5 lead over The Pride, as they boasted seven assists on seven made baskets.
Greensboro would chip away at Maryville's lead, as Tiffani Stephens, Shanita Hampton and Marla Crawford posted scores. With 2:26 left in the half, a lay-up by Hampton cut the Scots' lead to only one, 28-27. Syerra Troutman would give Greensboro the advantage just 1:03 later on two free throws, 29-28.
Lauren Trent bucketed a trey with 23 ticks remaining, but a lay-up by Stepens with just three second remaining would knot the ball game at 31-all as the teams headed to the locker room.
The two teams battled back and forth in the second half of the game that saw eight ties and eight lead changes. MC took a 54-50 lead with 9:24 remaining, but a Joslyn Spires trey and a Stephens tip in put The Pride back on top 55-54.
Those scores would be the beginning of an 11-1 run that left the Scots trailing 51-55 with 6:15 left in the second half. The Scots' Jordan Ballard and Alex Bond would cut the lead to 64-62, before a Puckett lay-up would knot things and 64-all with 1:41 left to play.
A pair of free throws by Stephens – Greensboro's 6-foot-4 center – and a jump shot by Rachel Hawn would tie the game at 66, before the Scots went cold with 56 seconds remaining.
Syerra Troutman hit a lay-up, while Spires bucketed the front end of a 1-and-1 for the final margin, 69-66.
The Pride shot 48.2 percent from the floor, while posting 42 points in the paint and 18 points off fast break baskets. Greensboro managed to outrebound the Scots, 40-28, posting 13 second-chance points.
The Scots shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) on the afternoon – the best percentage of their three-game tournament. They also shot 5-of-11 from the perimeter, four of those long-range buckets coming in the first half.
Maryville (25-3) was led by Puckett's 20-points, five-rebound afternoon, as the junior posted four steals and two blocks. She shot 75 percent (9-of-12) from the floor.
Brackins added 12 points to go with three steals, while Bond posted 10 points and five assists. Ballard had eight points, three rebounds, three steals and six assists, while Kelsey Brown came off the bench for eight points. Trent had six points, while Hawn tallied two.
Greensboro (24-4) was led by 16 points from Stephens. The 6-foot-4 center aldo posted nine rebounds and three blocks, as she was crowned the USA South Conference Tournament MVP.
Hampton received All-Tournament honors, while tallying 14 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Spires added 14 points and five rebounds, while Troutman was also named All-Tournament with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals.
The Scots will now await Monday's NCAA Selection Show – scheduled for mid-day Monday – in hopes of receiving an At Large Bid to the NCAA National Tournament.
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