Tigerville, S.C. – Karen Donehew bucketed 27-points and North Greenville shot a season-high 45.7-percent from the field and 40-percent from deep in a 93-91 win over Lees-McRae to open up the new year.

The Basics

• Score: NGU – 93 / Lees McRae – 91
• Location: Hayes Gymnasium (Tigerville, South Carolina)
• Records: North Greenville 2 – 10 (1 – 3) / Lees McRae 4 – 6 (1 – 3)

How it Happened

• A closely contested first half with six ties and six total lead changes.
• North Greenville led by as many as four points in the half, which ended with NGU trailing 46-42 at halftime.
• The Bobcats extended their lead to six points in the opening minutes of the third period when Mackenzie Blankenship knocked down a three-pointer to make it 52-46.
• The Crusaders answered by scoring the next six points to even the tally. Karen Donehew got the rally started and capped it with the game-tying layup.
• Shelton’s four points were the beginning of a 22-2 run by the Crusaders, which earned them a 14-point edge, the biggest of the game for either team.
• Five different players scored during the run including Ayano Shelton with six and Kathleen Rodgers who topped it off with a pair of threes to make it 68-54 with 1:04 left.
• The Bobcats clawed their way back into the game. LMC benefited from five consecutive fouls whistled on the Crusaders to cut the once comfortable lead to six points with 6:35 remaining.
• North Greenville extended the lead to nine on a Donehew layup with 1:47 left in the game but NGU’s offense began to run cold.
• LMC scored five unanswered points to trim the deficit to just four points. Kyli Schmidt ended NGU’s scoreless streak with a lay-up that made it 92-86 with 46-seconds left.
• NGU’s defense stood up in the final minutes of the game though, holding the Bobcat offense to one basket in the final 30-seconds while Donehew put the game away with a final free throw.

Inside the NGU Box Score

• Two other players scored in double-figures for North Greenville including Cameron Carter who finished the night with 22-points and was three of five from deep.
• Kathleen Rodgers led NGU from the three-point line, hitting four of her six attempts while finishing the night with 14-points.
• The Crusaders set another season high on Tuesday night as well with 41-points bench points.
• Donehew tacked on a game-high 10-rebounds to account for the game’s only double-double.

Inside the Lees-McRae Box Score

• Markia Stacey led the Bobcats with 19-points and four assists.
• Mackenzi Blankenship had 18-points for Lees-McRae while Alexis Ammons and Grace Canella each had 10-points.

Next Time Out

• The Crusaders host Converse College on January 5 at 5:30 pm.