GREENSBORO, N.C. - William Peace University shot 60.9 percent in the second half, including nine-for-11 in the fourth quarter, in the Pacers' 68-64 women's basketball win at Guilford College Monday night. William Peace's (5-2) first win over Guilford (7-1) in eight tries ended the Quakers' seven-game winning streak to start the year.
The Quakers claimed a 4-0 lead before the opening tip thanks to back-to-back administrative technical fouls for William Peace. The Quakers' lead reached 12 points after five minutes of the first quarter as the Quakers extended their lead to 18 with 3:14 left in the period as the Quakers held a 16-2 edge in the paint and a 12-0 edge on the fast break.
The Pacers trimmed the lead to 12 two minutes into the second quarter before the Quakers produced a 9-2 run over a 3:21 span later in the period. The lead would not dip any lower than 15 points in the period. Both sides were even, 6-6, in second-quarter points in the paint and even in second-chance points, 2-2, for the period.
The Pacers opened the third period on an 8-0 run over the first three minutes of the quarter before the Quakers countered with a 6-0 run over the next 1:51. The Quakers' lead rose as high as 15 points in the period with the Pacers closing the period on a 10-4 run spanning the final half of the quarter. William Peace held the Quakers to just four points in the paint while shooting 41.7 percent for the period compared to Guilford's 23.8 percent.
Guilford's lead rose as high as 13 points through 2:30 in the fourth quarter, but William Peace amassed an 11-0 run over a 1:52 span in the period to cut the lead to two points. The Quakers bumped the lead back up to six points with 3:12 remaining, but the Pacers tied the game with 2:07 left on a Nadine Ealey lay-up. William Peace finished the final 2:52 on a 10-0 run while shooting 81.8 percent from the field to claim the win.
Lauren Ramsey led the Quakers with 15 points on six-of-13 shooting while adding four assists.Anais Weatherly scored 14 points on seven-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds. Amy Steller was the remaining Quakers' player in double-figure scoring with 12 points while adding six assists.
Tyler Mercer led all scorers with 16 points for the Pacers while Ealey tallied 15 points on five-of-nine shooting.
The Quakers shot 36.9 percent for the contest after a 45.9 percent first-half effort. William Peace finished the contest shooting 44.9 percent after only sinking eight shots in the first half.
The Quakers held a 32-22 edge in the paint and a decisive 18-2 advantage on the fast break. The Quakers held a slight edge in points off turnovers, 20-19, as William Peace committed 23 turnovers to the Quakers 20 miscues. The Quakers out-rebounded the Pacers, 47-30, while crushing William Peace on the offensive glass, 17-4.
The Quakers take a break for the Christmas holiday before returning to action Friday, December 30th, hosting Husson University for a 5 p.m. contest.