Chowan survives late run, advances to semifinals
Published 4:48 pm Friday, March 3, 2023
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SPARTANBURG, SC – Jayah King-Johnson drew a charging foul with 1.8 seconds remaining, giving the ball back to Chowan that preserved a 65-63 win over Emmanuel here this afternoon (Friday) in the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas women’s basketball tournament.
Yasmine Brown led the Hawks with 16 points, including 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Demetria Bland chipped in 11 points, while Aniah Patterson tallied 10 points.
Meara Carter hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds and four steals.
Chowan (18-10 overall), the #5 seed, faces top-seeded Belmont Abbey in Saturday’s semifinal round. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC.
Against Emmanuel, Chowan would struggle from the floor in the early going where they trailed 12-2. Imani Hickman connected on a putback, Tyaysia Sharpe hit a three-pointer, and Patterson hit a jumper to close the gap to 12-9.
Trailing 20-15, Chowan surged in front thanks to a 17-4 run to end the half. Hickman ignited the rally with a jumper followed by five quick points by Bland. Hickman added a pair from the stripe before Patterson hit a triple to lead 28-20. Brown scored a pair of buckets to send the Hawks into the locker room with a 32-24 advantage.
Chowan maintained a 10-point lead for much of the third quarter. That advantage remained (55-45) going into the fourth quarter.
The Hawks would maintain a sizable lead throughout most of the final period. Patterson hit a pair of free throws with 2:27 remaining to lead 65-56. Emmanuel rallied with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 65-63 with 7.4 seconds remaining.
On the in-bound, Chowan was called for an offensive foul, handing the ball back to the Lions for one final possession. Keibra Hopkins forced the Lions’ down the floor with some pace and forcing the player into a waiting King-Johnson for the charge at the free throw line with 1.4 seconds remaining.