Pioneers Continue Surge with Road Win at Carolina

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Days before the start of the Spring 2026 semester and early in the New Year, the Spartanburg Methodist College women's basketball team continued its recent momentum, earning a 76–70 non-conference victory over host Carolina (N.C.) on Wednesday night for its second straight win of 2026.

The Pioneers, who have now won four of their last five games, improved to 8–7 on the season. A year ago, in their first season of NAIA competition, SMC did not reach the eight-win mark until Feb. 15, underscoring the program's continued growth.

SMC was led by senior Halle Traylor, who poured in a season-high 25 points while knocking down a season-best five 3-pointers to pace four Pioneers in double figures. Najah Gilliam added 16 points, Destiny Middleton chipped in 14, and Krystal Johnson finished with 12.

"I am really proud of how we found a way tonight," said SMC head coach Reid Walling. "It was hard and we went through some storms, but this group is committed to each other. We talk all the time about resilience, and we showed it again tonight."

Carolina (2–13) was paced by a double-double from MeiLani Patterson, who finished with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Dearia Page (15 points), Angelina Jordan (12), and Mya Smith (10) also scored in double figures for the Bruins.

The Pioneers set the tone early, holding Carolina to 32 percent shooting in the opening quarter while shooting a blistering 53.3 percent themselves to take a 22–17 lead. Traylor sparked the fast start, scoring 14 of her points in the opening 10 minutes, including four 3-pointers. Carolina responded in the second quarter, trimming the deficit to three on two occasions, including just before halftime when a layup by Page made it a 37–34 game at the break.

A second-chance basket by the Bruins to open the third quarter cut the margin to one, but SMC answered with a five-point spurt from Gilliam, highlighted by a three-point play with 8:23 remaining. The Pioneers pushed the lead to as many as 11 points in the period.

In the final quarter, SMC extended its advantage to 13, but Carolina refused to fade. Trailing by 12 with 1:36 remaining, the Bruins rattled off nine straight points to pull within three with 17 seconds left. Traylor calmly converted a pair of free throws, and Gilliam added one more from the line with five seconds remaining to seal the win.

"We have plenty of things to improve on, but that's the fun part," Walling added. "This group understands that we have to keep getting better every day, and our best basketball is still ahead of us."

Next, SMC will return to Appalachian Athletic Conference play when it travels to face Montreat on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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