Lady Pride survive second half Wesleyan rally, win 60-54

Greensboro, NC - The Lady Pride of Greensboro College survived a determined North Carolina Wesleyan squad on Saturday, holding on for a 60-54 USA South win at home.  Up 33-26 at the half, the Pride overcame a 16-5 NCWC run to start the second period and managed just enough offense down the stretch to secure the six-point victory.  GC improves to 8-5 on the season, 5-1 in league play. The Bishops drop to 4-8 overall, 1-5 in conference action.

Greensboro led by as many as 14 in the first half and held a 30-19 advantage with 1:39 left in the period.  Wesleyan sophomore Courtney Brown, however, knocked down two free throws and a three-pointer in the final minute to key a 7-3 Bishop run.

Down only seven at the break, Wesleyan continued to chip away at GC's lead at the start of the second half.  The aforementioned 16-5 run actually gave the Bishops a 42-38 lead at the 14:41 mark.

It was a back-and-forth contest over the next eight minutes as neither team was able to pull away. Wesleyan held its final advantage with six minutes remaining when junior Essence Chambers' two free throws gave NCWC a 49-48 lead.

Unfortunately for the Bishops, the Pride converted two straight baskets to regain a three-point edge.  Wesleyan would get no closer than two points the rest of the way.

Chambers finished with a game-high 17 points to lead all scorers.  Nicole Williams added 10 points, while senior Cheyenne Hall pulled down 11 rebounds.

For the Pride, Dione Eccles tallied a team-high 16 points.

Once again, the Bishops struggled at the free throw line and converted just 11-of-25 attempts. NCWC, however, scored 20 points off of GC turnovers to combat its poor showing at the charity stripe.

Wesleyan travels to Methodist University on Monday. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Fayetteville.

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