COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Wildcats saw their late advantage slip away. Benedict College took advantage of Fort Valley State with the game's final six points and edged out a 74-72 women's basketball Saturday afternoon win.
After trailing by as many as eight points late in the third quarter, FVSU rallied in the final frame and held six-point leads, 65-59 at 4:20 and 68-62 at 3:31. Benedict retied the contest with six points in a row at 68-68 with 1:45 on the clock. Following a Camryn Oneill layup and Aaniyah Allen free throw pair, the Wildcats led 72-68 with 1:15 to go. The Tigers would score three layups in the next 73 seconds off three Wildcat turnovers for the winning points.
FVSU (6-10/3-7 SIAC East) saw its 3-game win streak in the series stopped with the outcome. Benedict advanced to 5-8 overall and 4-5 in the SIAC East.
Allen posted her first 20-point contest since the season opener as she hit for 20 points to go with four assists, four steals and two rebounds.
Marley Bell made all five of her shot attempts for 11 points and Oneill scored 12 tallies and handed out three assists. Kimora Wade chipped in nine points and had two rebounds.
Arieonna Booker came close to a double-double with nine boards and eight points while she had two steals and an assist. Ja'Nya Ferguson added eight rebounds, five points and four steals along with Makayla Arnold at four points and two caroms. Cori Barnes downed FVSU's opening 3-pointer for her points.
Benedict was led by Ciara Hardy's 18 points.
Booker and Allen scored a pair on back-to-back FVSU possessions for a 14-6 first-quarter lead. The Tigers netted the next two buckets for a 14-10 tally after 10 minutes.
Benedict turned a one-point, 18-17, deficit into a 23-18 lead after two 3-pointers in a row. The home team enjoyed a 30-26 lead at half.
The Tigers increased the advantage to seven points, 35-28, early in the second half and led 47-39 with 2:24 in the third.
FVSU returns to Columbia on Monday afternoon, Jan. 20, in a 1 p.m. tip-off at Allen University.
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