Box Score Behind a pair of 18-point performances by Kelley Wandell and Klaire Varney, the Maryville College Scots advanced to the quarterfinals of the USA South women's basketball tournament with a 73-56 victory over Covenant College on Wednesday evening on MC's Randy Lambert Court.
Maryville pulled out to a 10-point advantage in the first quarter when the Scots' defense limited Covenant to a 25-percent shooting effort while MC tallied 10 points off nine Covenant turnovers. Kelley Wandell deposited six points on 3-of-4 shooting in the paint.
MC cruised to a 30-16 halftime advantage with Varney and Wandell combining for 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting while the dynamic duo posted a collective 10 rebounds. Courtney Carruthers added seven points at the intermission.
Both offenses tallied 23 points in the third quarter with Maryville dropping almost 65-percent of their shots led by Abbi Joseph and Carruthers each posting six points. Covenant kept pace hitting 57-percent of their shots with Ruthie Moore dropping 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
MC pulled away for the victory in the final period with Wandell and Varney posting a combined 11 points after sinking 9-of-10 free throws.
Covenant (10-16) was paced during the league tournament challenge by Hannah Monday's double-double. Monday finished with a game-high 11 rebounds while adding 10 points. Ruthie Moore tallied a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting that included four three-pointers.
Maryville (19-7) advanced to the league tournament quarterfinals after Kelley Wandell dropped 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe. The senior post-player added eight rebounds. Klaire Varney went 6-of-11 from the floor for 18 points while also bringing down a team-high nine rebounds and recording a game-high seven steals. Freshman Courtney Carruthers added 15 points while bringing down five boards and dishing out four assists. Fellow freshman Abbi Joseph contributed 10 points while finishing with five rebounds.
Maryville will advance to take on North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Saturday, February 22. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m.
