Women’s Basketball edges by the Knights on the road
LAURINBURG, N.C. (Feb. 9, 2023) - The Point University women's basketball team returned to the court on Thursday for a road Appalachian Athletic Conference Matchup and pulled through to win with a final score of 48-39.
In response to the Knights' opening three, Mirial Canno got the Skyhawks on the scoreboard with a layup in the paint. The Skyhawks quickly wiped away the lead from St. Andrews as Marta Gimenez drained the three-pointer. Ky'Leo Worriels followed with a layup on the next possession to bring their lead to 7-3. St. Andrews quickly tied the game again and would add to their momentum by making a layup and a three-pointer to move ahead by five. After the timeout, Point retaliated with a three of their own as Marta Gimenez made her second triple of the game. Two made free throws and a layup from Sheyvonne Owens would put the Skyhawks back in the lead by two, and Jasmine Griggs would end the quarter going 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to make their lead 15-12.
The second quarter started off cold for both teams as the first basket was not scored until the 6:57 mark when the Knights made two free throws. The Skyhawks started to find their rhythm again as their lead grew to five when Marta Gimenez and Ky'Leo Worriels scored in the paint. As the quarter continued, both teams added intensity on defense, but Point would break past that Sheyvonne Owens scored the layup. Jasmine Griggs ended the quarter with two free throws made to bring their score to 24-16 at halftime.
Mataea Boyd got the Skyhawks going by making a layup to bring their lead to double digits. The Knights brought their deficit to single digits, but Mataea Boyd converted on her second three-pointer of the quarter to get it back to a 10-point lead. Point continued to find ways to stretch their lead on the road as Marta Gimenez drove past the defense for the strong take to the paint. The Knights cut into the lead of Point by going on a quick 8-0 run to trail by four. After Point's timeout, Chinedu Nnadi came in with a quick impact by scoring the layup to move their lead back to six. The Skyhawks continued to stay consistent from the free throw line as they knocked down two free throws, followed by Mataea Boyd ending the quarter the way she started it by draining a three-point bomb to lead 38-28 going into the fourth quarter.
Ky'Leo Worriels gave the Skyhawks their first score of the final period of play, and the attacks in the paint continued as Chinedu Nnadi made another layup to provide Point with their biggest lead of 12. Worriels continued to keep the Skyhawks ahead as her post presence continued to provide the Knights trouble. As the quarter started to wind down, St. Andrews pushed for one last effort to bring their deficit within reach as Ashley Starks converted on a layup and a three-pointer to cut the game to a 46-37 deficit. Chinedu Nnadi put the icing on the cake with a final layup of the game, which gave the Skyhawks their 18th win on the season.
In the box
Marta Gimenez led with 12 Points and three assists. Ky'Leo Worriels added nine points, eight rebounds and one assist. Mataea Boyd added nine points and four rebounds.
Up next
Point will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the West Point Park Gym against Columbia College for an AAC matchup, starting at 2:00 P.M. Prior to tip-off, Women's Basketball will have their Senior Day Ceremony during pregame.