JACKSON, Miss. – Centre women's basketball dominated the fourth quarter in a 57-44 win against Berry Friday evening, advancing to the Southern Athletic Association semifinals for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
The Colonels (13-13) extended their season by outscoring the Vikings (13-13) by a 22-8 margin in the fourth quarter, snapping a three-game skid while avenging two regular season losses to Berry. Centre was also the only lower seed to advance from Friday's quarterfinals in either the men's or women's SAA Tournaments.
Kat Wilson led the Colonels with 19 points, going 8 of 11 from the field an knocking down three 3-pointers.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Both sides labored offensively in the first quarter of the night game, combining to shoot 5 of 19 as the Vikings took a 7-4 lead after 10 minutes.
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Abigail Wehby and
Abigail Stewart hit consecutive jumpers early in the second, matching the team's first quarter output in less than a minute.
- Wilson also warmed up during the period, scoring seven points in the quarter.
- Centre pulled within 20-19 with 90 seconds left, but a couple of late 3-pointers from the Vikings helped them take a 26-21 lead into the half.
- Wilson kept up the efficiency into the third quarter, eventually giving the Colonels their first lead of the game after a jumper made it 32-30 nearly four minutes in.
- Centre trailed by a narrow 36-35 margin heading to the fourth.
- Wilson sank a basket to open the scoring in the last period, and
Mikayla Fee followed with a 3-pointer to spark the lopsided finish.
- When the dust settled, the Colonels had 22 points on a 7-for-11 shooting effort while limiting the Vikings to eight points and a dismal 1-for-15 performance from the field across the final period.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Colonels held the Vikings to one made field goal in the last 10 minutes, and for the game surrendered just a 27.6% field goal percentage to Berry. The Vikings hit only one of their 14 3-pointers.
- Wilson added three assists and three rebounds to her 19 points. Fee followed with 11 points off the bench.
- Wehby led the Colonels with seven rebounds, followed by Stewart's six.
- Centre's bench outscored Berry's 18-2, and the Colonels also enjoyed a 28-22 advantage in points in the paint.
UP NEXT
Centre meets two-seed Oglethorpe in the semifinals Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The Stormy Petrels defeated Sewanee in Friday's quarterfinal, 61-56.
