SHERMAN, Texas – Despite a subpar shooting effort throughout the entire game, the Southwestern University women's basketball team used a 24-11 third quarter to propel the Pirates to a 50-40 win at Austin College.
Southwestern (4-4 overall) won its second Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener in as many seasons despite shooting to just 39.3 percent for the game while holding Austin College to an abysmal 21.2 percent including 19 percent from long range.
Aniyah Burke scored the game's first points to put Southwestern up 2-0 just 18 seconds into the contest.
Austin College (0-6, 0-1 SCAC) answered on its first possession to tie it up at 2-2 and that is where the score would remain for the next 2:59 before the Kangaroos took their first lead of the game.
It was at this juncture in the game that Southwestern would turn on its defense forcing Austin College into a long scoring drought and taking an 8-3 lead with 3:56 to go in the opening stanza.
The rest of the first quarter would see a pair of ties sandwiched around a Southwestern lead with both teams tied at 10-10 at the quarter break.
Burke has been the drought destroyer in recent games giving her team a much-needed spark when the other members are not able to put points on the board. A total of 5:29 from the last made points in the first quarter to Burke's layup with 6:41 to go before halftime.
After an Akyra Hodges layup put the Pirates on top 14-10 with 5:37 left before halftime, Austin College would finally score in the second quarter on a Marianna Bert free throw at the 4:20 in the second quarter breaking a 7:00 scoreless streak.
Hodges' basket nearly two minutes later would be all the scoring Southwestern would do in the opening half as Austin College closed out the second period on a 7-0 run to take a 19-16 advantage.
Down by a 28-27 count with 4:08 left in the third quarter, the Pirates finally got the ship steered in the right direction with a 13-2 run to take what would be a commanding 40-30 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Olivia Keyser, Emily Edwards and Burke got the run started with back-to-back treys to get the momentum on their side for once in the contest.
Reese Sandercock made her presence in the paint known in the third by picking up four blocked shots in the quarter on her way to her third time tying the single-game record in Southwestern women's basketball history with eight blocked shots.
Austin College would get as close as 40-35 with 7:27 left in the game, but Burke answered with a layup to thwart any idea of a comeback by the Kangaroos.
Burke finished with a game-high 15 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists and while Ellie Ward may not have contributed but four points, she was stellar on the boards hauling in a massive 13 rebounds to lead both teams.
Hodges and Edwards both tallied eight points with Hodges collecting seven rebounds to Edwards' nine.
UP NEXT
The opening weekend of SCAC play continues for the Pirates when they travel to the University of Dallas on Saturday, Dec. 3 for a 4 p.m. CST tipoff.
