Cruising Skyhawks remain undefeated with victory over Bluefield

BLUEFIELD, Va. (Dec. 1, 2021) – The Point University women's basketball team used a solid third quarter run Wednesday evening inside Dome Gymnasium to defeat Bluefield University 71-60 and remain undefeated on the season.

With the victory, the Skyhawks advance to 8-0 and 5-0 in Appalachian Athletic Conference play.

"Today was a great team win against a solid team," Head Coach Tory Wooley said. "Our players displayed a collective effort on the defensive side of the ball, led by senior Marta Gimenez. Our ladies did an exceptional job of following the game plan and doing the little things, like shooting 94% from the free-throw line. Lastly, I'm proud of how we shot the ball down the stretch and the bench play by Nicole Izuagie, who hit key shots to create some separation in the second half to close out the game."

Alexis Tate opened the contest with a triple to earn an early lead for the Skyhawks before Bluefield tied the game 5-5 nearly three minutes later. The game would go on to see four lead changes over the next six minutes of play before a layup from Gimenez would send Point on a 5-0 run to end the opening quarter. The Skyhawks held its lead for the entire second quarter, but the Rams closed the half out on a 6-0 run and brought Point's lead down to one (31-30).  

Tate connected for a layup out of the break, and Sheyvonne Owens followed with back-to-back made free throws to extend Point's lead out by five. The Rams cut Point's lead back down to three before Jasmine Griggs, and Izuagie connected with back-to-back triples to help the Skyhawks extend their lead out by seven (43-36). Izuagie would close the third quarter with her second three-pointer of the game to help Point take its largest lead of the night, 49-40.

Izuagie continued her dominant presence from the perimeter in the fourth quarter, connecting for her third 3-pointer of the day to send Point ahead 52-42. The Rams would answer with an 8-0 run to cut Point's lead down to two before Iyanna McMillan would end Bluefield's run with a 3-pointer with seven minutes left. The Skyhawks held its lead for the remainder of the game, with Gimenez connecting for nine points in the final six minutes of action.

Gimenez and McMillan led Point's offensive efforts with 14 points apiece. Tate followed with 13 points, and Izuagie recorded 11. Hannah Williams played the entire game, scoring eight points and recording five rebounds and four assists. Owens led Point under the basket with seven boards, and Gimenez and Tate followed with five and six rebounds, respectively. The Skyhawks were 16-for-17 on the night from behind the charity stripe.

Up next, Point will travel to Truett McConnell for an AAC matchup on Saturday, Dec. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.