Pioneers Sink Late Free Throws to Edge Brenau, 76–74, on the Road

Gainesville, Georgia - The Spartanburg Methodist College women's basketball team made its final five free throws, including a pair with 11 seconds remaining by senior Destiny Middleton, on its way to a 76–74 road win over Brenau on Wednesday night.

The win extends the Pioneers' winning streak to six games and improves their record to 12-7 overall and 7-5 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Golden Tigers fall to 8-12 overall and 3-9 in conference play.

Spartanburg Methodist College had four players score in double figures, led by reserves Middleton and senior Zy Bell with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Halle Traylor and Najah Gilliam added 13 and 11 points. Bell also recorded five steals, Middleton dished out four assists, and Shaelyn Hayes led the Pioneers on the boards with seven rebounds.

Brenau was led by Caylie Long, who scored a game-high 29 points after shooting 11-of-16 from the free-throw line and 9-of-12 from the field. Sara Grace Bertollini grabbed a team-best seven rebounds for the Golden Tigers.

"I am really proud of our team for finding a way to get it done on the road," said SMC head coach Reid Walling. "I made a million mistakes tonight and put our team in some tougher situations than we probably should have been, but our team fought hard and found a way again."

The host Golden Tigers entered the fourth quarter with a 50-49 lead. A pair of free throws by Halle Traylor with 6:44 remaining gave the Pioneers a 59-57 advantage as the contest remained tight down the stretch. Brenau tied the game at 60 on a layup by Long with 5:00 to play.

An 8-3 spurt by the visitors followed, giving SMC the lead for the remainder of the contest. During the run, Gilliam converted three layups and Middleton added another basket. The Pioneers stretched the lead to as many as seven points before Brenau pulled within two on three occasions, including the final margin.

Next, SMC will host Bryan (Tenn.) on Friday at 2 p.m. at Bridges Arena in a rematch of a contest won by the Tigers, 78-58, on November 25.