WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The William Carey Women's Basketball Team wrapped up play in the Keiser Thanksgiving Classic with a hard fought 79-69 victory over host Keiser University Wednesday afternoon.
 
"This was a big win for us today," said Head Coach Tracy English. "Keiser is a good team that is very well coached. They very seldom lose at home, and we were able to come in here today pulling it off."
 
For the first three minutes both teams traded shots until back-to-back layups by Rose Warren and Kolten Blakeney made it 10-6 Carey midway through. The Seahwaks got within two, but WCU responded with seven straight points by Leah Sutton, Shaneal Corpuz, and Blakeney to make it 17-10 with three minutes remaining. Over the final minutes of the quarter the Lady Crusader offense struggled, committing three turnovers, which luckily only allowed Keiser to cut the deficit to 18-15.
 
The Carey offense regained their footing to open the second quarter, going on a 6-2 run to take a seven-point lead two minutes in. Over the next three minutes, the Lady Crusaders extended their lead to 30-19. From there both teams went back and forth with WCU taking a 34-25 lead into the break.
 
The game went back and forth out of the break with Carey pushing their lead back to eleven at 40-29 with eight minutes remaining. However, the Seahawks went on a 7-0 run over a two-minute span to get back within four points. Corpuz broke the run with a layup and Jenna Garriga pushing the WCU lead to eight.
 
Again, though Keiser battled their way back, this time making it a one-point game at 46-45 with under ten minutes left in the quarter. The Seahawks eventually tied the game at 48 but Addyson Sherer closed the quarter for Carey with five straight points to give WCU a 53-48 lead.
 
The Seahawks opened the fourth with five straight points to tie the game again. After trading points, back-to-back baskets by the Lady Crusaders made it 60-55 with a little over six minutes to play. From there the back and forth continued with Keiser getting within two, after Corpuz and Blakeney made it a six-point advantage.
 
Madelyn Ladner stole the ball on the Seahawks next possession with Sherer draining a three pointer to make it 70-61 with under three minutes remaining. From there the Carey defense held strong only allowing Keiser to get as close as seven points on their way to victory.
Kolten Blakeney led the offense with 17 points with Shaneal Corpuz finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.  Addyson Sherer added 15 points while Rose Warren followed up her triple double from a day ago with 13 points and ten assists.
 
Carey is back in action Thursday, December 5, as they return home to Clinton Gym to take on Faulkner University in SSAC action. Play is set to begin at 5:30 pm.