Box Score The Maryville College women's basketball squad earned their third consecutive victory of the new year with a hard-fought 57-43 road win over USA South rival Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia on Saturday afternoon.
Maryville exploded in the final quarter to outpace their host Scots 20-9 on 53-percent shooting (8 -for-15) while clamping down on the defensive side allowing only a 23-percent shooting effort (4-for-17). Libby Gardner and Courtney Carruthers each posted six points in the closing stanza to secure the league win.
Maryville built a four-point advantage at the half (29-25) with Kelley Wandell and Abbi Joseph battling on the boards while four different Scots dropped three-pointers as MC went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Both teams struggled throughout the third quarter as each team only deposited four shots, none finding the net from long distance.
Leading 37-34 going into the fourth, MC pulled away with a gritty determination and complete team effort.
"Winning on the road is tough, but we found a way to grind one out," stated Maryville College Head Coach Darrin Travillian. "We did enough in every area to find a way to win, so we will take it and keep working to get better."
Maryville (11-4, 4-2 USA South) was paced by a trio of players posting double-digit scoring. Courtney Carruthers finished with a team-high 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting sinking a pair of treys. Both Abbi Joseph and Klaire Varney deposited 11 points with Varney adding eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals. Kelley Wandell was dominant on the boards with a game-high 15 rebounds. Shelby Hix tossed in seven points while Gardner and Wandell each added six points.
Maryville held Covenant to a 33-percent shooting effort for the game including a 1-for-16 success rate from long distance.
Covenant (5-9, 2-3 USA South) was led by Hannah Monday's game-high 15 points while Cosette Kirsch added 11 points and six assists.
Maryville will prepare for a two-game USA South road trip next week at Brevard and Wesleyan. MC returns home on Saturday, January 25 at 2:00 p.m. when they host LaGrange.
