STAUNTON, Va. – The Mary Baldwin University women's basketball team fell to Pfeiffer, 72-58, in USA South action in the PAC on Saturday afternoon.
With the result, the Fighting Squirrels drop to 10-9 on the year and 5-6 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Falcons move to 8-10 overall.
Prior to the contest, MBU and the athletic department honored Jessica Carter for her success as the program's all-time leading scorer. Carter amassed 1,943 points in her four-year career as a Fighting Squirrel. She was awarded her framed jersey and a commemorative basketball. MBU President Dr. Pamela Fox and head women's basketball coach Ross James presented the items to Carter before she took a moment to say a few words to a packed crowd.
Following the pregame ceremony, all alumnae members of the women's basketball team were asked to take the court to be recognized for their contributions to MBU and the program.
In the game, Nicole Mallon and Mary Moran each finished with 13 points, while Mallon pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Moran recorded four rebounds and added a pair of steals and an assist. Off the bench, Cauy Duboise scored seven points and grabbed two rebounds in 12 minutes.
For the Falcons, Brina Bentley scored a game-high 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field. She grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and grabbed two steals. Kortni Pinion finished with 17 point, seven rebounds and five assists, while A'Mya McClain and Shalonda Wilkins each garnered 10 points in the win.
The contest started with a technical foul on Pfeiffer for its jerseys that put Brooke Anders on the line to give MBU the first point of the game. With five minutes left in the first, a layup by Mallon pushed the home side up 10-4. The Falcons battled back to a 12-10 deficit before both teams hit a jumper to end the first quarter with MBU in front, 14-10.
MBU took a five-point advantage at 18-13 with 8:40 left in the contest before a quick 7-1 run by Pfeiffer gave them their first lead of the game. The lead was worked to 27-22 before Demet Saygili and Mary Moran each hit jumpers within 30 seconds to trim the deficit to just one point. Capped by a Wilkins three, PfU pushed on to a 34-26 lead with two minutes left in the half. Each side hit free throws and a last second jumper from Bryonna Woofter sent the two sides to halftime with the Falcons in front 36-31.
Pfeiffer opened the second half on a 10-3 run to jump ahead 46-34. Woofter hit a pair of free throws and Hannah Varner dropped a jumper to cut the lead to eight before a three from Brina Bentley gave the Falcons an 11 point lead. Each side traded baskets for the remainder of the period as Pfeiffer took a 56-44 lead to the final period.
Pfeiffer edged Mary Baldwin 16-14 in the fourth quarter and walked away with a 72-58 victory.
As a team, MBU shot 39.3 percent (22-56) from the floor compared to Pfeiffer's 47.2 clip (25-53), including 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Falcons also won the rebound battle 33-32.
The Fighting Squirrels return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at Greensboro beginning at 5:30 pm.
Photos from gameday ceremonies
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