HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey women's basketball team dropped a non-conference matchup to Brescia, 76-63, Thursday night at Clinton Gymnasium.
The Lady Crusaders came out strong, racing to a 13-2 lead by the six-minute mark of the opening quarter.
Jenna Garriga opened the scoring, and
Brooklyn Cuevas followed with a 3-pointer as the Carey defense kept the Bearcats off balance early. Brescia gradually settled into the game over the final minutes of the period, trimming the deficit to 22-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcats continued to chip away at the Carey advantage in the second quarter. With six minutes remaining before halftime, a 3-pointer from Graci Risley brought Brescia within three points at 25-22. The Lady Crusaders answered the rally behind baskets from
Shaneal Corpuz and
Leah Sutton, stretching their lead back to seven at 33-26 with three minutes left in the quarter. Carey maintained control over the rest of the period and carried a 42-35 lead into the break.
The battle remained tight throughout the third quarter as Brescia continued its comeback effort. The Bearcats finally erased the deficit and tied the game at 49-49 with three minutes remaining in the period. Both defenses then took over, allowing just one basket each during the closing stretch as the teams entered the fourth quarter deadlocked at 51-51.
The back-and-forth affair continued into the final period, with the score tied once again at 59-59 midway through the quarter. Brescia took control from there, closing the game on a 17-4 run over the final five minutes to secure the 76-63 victory.
Corpuz paced the Lady Crusaders with 11 points, while
Bailey Devall recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Carey returns to action Thursday, Nov. 12, when it hosts Xavier University in its conference opener. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at Clinton Gymnasium.
