BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Millsaps College women's basketball team traveled to Alabama on Friday for the Richard Dardenne Memorial Classic hosted by Birmingham Southern College. The Majors took on the Scots of Covenant College.
A strong second quarter allowed Millsaps to take a 34-24 lead at halftime. The Majors doubled that lead in the third quarter, and held on down the stretch to pick up their first win of the season by a final score of 70-52.
How It Happened
The Majors scored the first eight points of the game, all coming on layups, before the Scots were able to get on the board.
Covenant responded with a run of their own, and actually held a two point lead with 3:02 to play in the opening quarter, but a jumper from
Andrea Rayford in the final seconds of the period gave Millsaps a 15-14 lead. They never trailed again.
The Majors opened up the second quarter with a 6-0 run. They continued their strong play, and a three-pointer from
Megan Donaldson gave them their first double-digit lead at 30-19 with 3:38 left to play in the half.
The teams traded baskets over those final three minutes before a late Covenant free throw made it 34-24 heading into halftime.
The third quarter was all Millsaps. The Majors scored seven points off of turnovers, and dominated underneath the basket scoring 12 points inside the paint. All told Millsaps outscored Covenant 19-9 in the quarter to push their lead out to 53-33.
The Scots tried to comeback, and actually outscored the Majors 19-17 in the final quarter, but Millsaps did exactly what they needed down the stretch to secure the 70-52 win.
Notables
Taelor Manning and
Dia Fortenberry paced the offense for the Majors with each player scoring 20 points. Donaldson joined them in double-figures with 12 points on 4-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
As a team the Majors shot 50.8% from the field while holding the Scots to just 31.7%.
What's Next?
Millsaps returns to Bill Battle Coliseum tomorrow for the second day of the tournament. The Majors will play Agnes Scott College with tip off set for 4:00 p.m.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the women's basketball program this year follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
