Thursday, November 18, 2004
WOODS LEADS
CRUSADERS PAST PRESBYTERIAN 88-76
BELMONT,
N.C. – Junior
Nicole Woods (Gastonia, NC) scored 25 points, 22 of which
came in the second half, and added ten assists and seven
rebounds as Belmont Abbey held off Presbyterian College 88-76
in the Bojangles Queen City Tip-Off Classic at the Wheeler
Center Thursday.
In the first half Belmont Abbey (1-0) went on an 18-0 run,
holding PC scoreless for over seven minutes, to take a
seemingly commanding 27-9 lead. The lead grew to the largest
of the night, 32-13, with 3:46 remaining and Belmont Abbey was
threatening to run away with the game. Presbyterian hung in,
scoring the next ten points to cut the lead to 32-23. A late
Crusader basket by Valorie Bennett (Jr., Cumming, GA)
gave Belmont Abbey a 34-23 lead at the break.
Belmont Abbey still held a comfortable 43-33 lead at the
16:07 mark, but Presbyterian roared back, led by junior center
Cameron
Cook (Greensboro, N.C.), who scored eight points in an
18-6 run. Her three-point play with 12:55 left gave PC a 51-49
lead, their first since 3-2 in the first half. The game stayed
close for the next five minutes, but with the Blue Hose
holding a 63-61 lead with 7:55 left, the Crusaders took over.
Woods scored two baskets in the span of 31 seconds, then Heather
Schleupner (Mocksville, NC) hit two huge three-pointers in
a minute, both assisted by Woods, and Belmont Abbey held a
73-64 lead with five minutes left. The Blue Hose would get as
close as eight points after that, but could get no closer and
Belmont Abbey went on to the victory. Freshman Debra Wilcox
(Mt. Barker, Australia) scored 17 points in her collegiate
debut, and Schleupner added 14 for Belmont Abbey, who will
face Wingate Friday night at 7:30pm.
Cook led the Blue Hose with 21 points and eight rebounds,
and junior forward Rebecca
Wessinger (Laurens,
S.C.) added 19. PC will take on Queens in the first game
Friday at 5:30pm. Wingate knocked off Queens 63-45 in the
opening game of the Tip-Off Classic