DANVILLE, KY- The Majors used a late second-half run to close out the Centre Colonels and pick up a crucial conference road win, 56-46 on Sunday.
Miah Brooks (pictured scoring) posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Samantha Perez went for 15 points and five assists to lead Millsaps on Sunday. Both were critical in the Majors' 14-6 run to close the game.
Centre started out the game red hot from distance, allowing them to keep pace with the Majors. The Colonels were 3-16 from two-point range in the first half, but hit on six of eight three pointers. The deep ball allowed Centre to keep a slim lead for much of the first half, leading by as many as five. Their hot shooting did not deter the Majors who continued to pound the ball into the post. Lay-ins by Brooks and Kim Klunk late brought the halftime score to 30-28 in favor of the home team.
The Majors would turn up the defense in the second half, holding Centre to a mere 30 percent from the field and more importantly, scoreless from three. Kala-Jewel Freeman and Velvet Johnson had the hot hand early in the second half. Each made a pair of buckets to spring the Majors to a five-point lead at 37-32.
Over the final 10 minutes, Perez, Brooks, and the Millsaps' defense took over. Brooks hit a pair of buckets in the paint while Perez connected on a three, her only one of the game. Meanwhile, the defense held Centre without a basket for nearly five minutes as the lead grew to 47-40. The Colonels would get no closer than six the rest of the way. Perez, Freeman, and Brooks made key free throws down the stretch while Johnson added a jumper that proved to be the difference.
The biggest stat of the game was the rebounding, where the Majors owned a huge 43-23 advantage, including 17-6 on the offensive end. This led to a 14-7 second-chance point advantage and helped with the Majors' 26-14 edge on points in the paint. Millsaps also turned 10 Centre turnovers into 18 points as they continually made the Colonels pay for mistakes.
The win moves Millsaps to 3-0 in the SAA and 11-3 overall. They will look to improve to 4-0 next weekend as they stay on the road to close out the season series with Birmingham Southern. Tip time from Birmingham is set for 3pm next Saturday.
