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Women's Basketball Upsets No. 20 Austin College

Women's Basketball Upsets No. 20 Austin College

GEORGETOWN, Texas – Small, subtle tweaks in chemistry proved to be a great catalyst for the Southwestern University Pirates women's basketball team, who upset the No. 20-ranked Austin College Kangaroos with a 76-73 win.

Zhazze Brown led three Pirates in double figures with a game-high20 points, Cecily Woolfolk had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Noel Pratts scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting.

Plagued by turnovers against the full-court press all season, the Pirates inserted Naomi Brown into the starting lineup and used her as a pressure release in the middle of the floor. There's value in three-and-a-half years of experience and effort, knowing where to be on the floor to connect the dots in the offense.

Brown used her strength to keep her defender sealed, giving teammates a big target to break the press. She used her experience to quickly find the next pass to get the offense into place.

The Pirates also moved Zhazze Brown to point guard and assigned ball handling duties to Pratts, one of the few combo forwards capable of breaking defensive pressure with her own dribble.

Able to get into their sets and set the tempo, the Pirates were able to work inside to Woolfolk or swing to Pratts to find the seams. Lauren Fulenwider (eight points) and Emma Lewis (eight points, 2-for-2 from the 3-point line) provided enough spacing while Taylor Carney showcased some interior passing and defense.

With steady hands guiding the offense, the Pirates came out of the halftime break with confidence and momentum, breaking off a 20-9 run, holding Austin College to just 3-for-12 shooting in the quarter to take a 49-37 lead into the fourth quarter.

Reagan Chiaverini and Natalie McCoy led an Austin College comeback in the fourth, combining for 18 points, but Zhazze Brown was able to answer them nearly shot for shot, scoring 14 points in the final 10 minutes. Brown scored three consecutive baskets, hitting back-to-back layups and a 3-poitner midway through the fourth to give Southwestern a 61-52 lead, then iced the game with seven free throws on 12 attempts.

With the win, the Pirates improve to 4-11 on the season and 2-6 in conference play. Southwestern will play Dallas tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.