The University of Mary Washington women's basketball held a slim lead throughout much of the contest, but dropped a 67-56 decision at 12th ranked Maryville (Tn.) College on Friday evening in Maryville. The Eagles see their Capital Athletic Conference-winning season come to an end with a mark of 24-5.
The Eagles jumped ahead in the first, with lone senior Sarah Listenbee connecting on a pair of baskets, and junior Brianne Comden adding three. UMW held a 7-2 advantage with 5:46 left in the first.
Kendall Parker hit a three pointer, giving the Eagles a 10-4 cushion, but the Scots scored six straight to tie the score with 1:52 remaining. The Eagles closed the first and opened the second on a 7-0 run to lead 17-10 with 8:19 left before halftime.
After the Scots closed the gap to one, UMW answered to keep the lead with baskets from McKenzie Jenkins and Listenbee. Maryville hit a three pointer with 4:45 left to close the gap to one, 21-20, and after the teams traded buckets, freshman Meghan Comer made three free throws to give the Eagles a 26-22 lead at halftime.
Play in the third quarter mirrored that of the first 20 minutes, with UMW building leads and the Scots cutting into them but not being able to grab the lead. Maryville tied the score at 28-28 with 8:45 to play in the third, but the Eagles ran off eight straight points, including three each from Listenbee and Comden. UMW held a six-point lead late in the third, but a three-pointer from Maryville cut the deficit to 41-38 to start the fourth quarter.
After scoring 10 first quarter points, 12 in the second and 16 in the third, the Scots erupted for 29 fourth quarter points, as the Scots scored the first two baskets of the period and never trailed thereafter. Both teams connected for six field goals in the frame, but Maryville made 17-19 free throws in the fourth, while UMW made just 2-3 foul shots. Maryville also dominated the boards in the quarter, 13-5.
Comden led the Eagles with 16 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Elizabeth Dofflemyer added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Listenbee scored 10. Maryville was led by Mackenzie Puckett's 22 points, including 13-13 from the free throw line.
Mary Washington shot 20-49 from the field (40.8%), making 2-17 three pointers and 14-19 free throws. Maryville shot just 31.0% from the field (18-58), making 4-23 three pointers and 27-34 free throws. Maryville led in rebounding, 42-34.
The Eagles cap a season which saw them win the CAC Championship for the sixth time and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history. UMW surpassed 20 wins for the 11th time in the past 12 years.