MARYVILLE – After a tough first quarter, Maryville outscored Agnes Scott 22-5 in the second quarter to pull ahead and cruise to a 65-48 senior day win here in the Cooper Athletic Center.
 
"Senior days are hard to play for the home team," Maryville head coach Darrin Travillian said. "You get out of your normal routine; you get out of your rhythm. Of course, for seniors it's tough because of the emotions. it's just a hard thing to do."
 
"You've got to play through a lot of that stuff, and I think we saw some of that in the first quarter."
 
Maryville was just 4-of-23 (17.4%) from the field in the first 10 minutes of play, including 1-of-12 from beyond the 3-point line. Agnes Scott on the other hand, was 7-of-13 (53.8%) on field goals. The Scotties led by as many as eight points in the first, outscoring Maryville 10-2 over the first six minutes of the quarter.
 
"I give them credit defensively," Travillian said. "That size is bothersome, and they do a really good job with their zone, getting up into you a little bit and making your life difficult. But we also just have to finish some plays."
 
"Our problem was offensively we just struggled. We couldn't throw it in the ocean. We had a lot of really good opportunities, especially early, but we just couldn't buy a bucket."


 
The second quarter is where the Scots really took control of the contest. While Maryville shot just 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from the field, they were a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line to outscore Agnes Scott 22-5 in the second quarter.
 
They held the Scotties without a field goal for the entire 10 minutes, allowing all five points by way of free throws. Maryville caused 31 turnovers in the contest, with 10 of them coming in the second quarter.
 
"With their size advantage, and with (Laila) Williams' ability to create, our whole thing was we didn't want to turn this into a half-court just sit and grind kind of thing," Travillian said. "We wanted to get up, we wanted to try to keep the tempo going, especially defensively with the press."
 
Once Maryville gained the lead with 5:43 remaining in the second, they never relinquished it. Their biggest lead of the night was 19, following a Kadence Stoner Jump shot with 6:38 remaining in the fourth.
 
Before the game, Maryville celebrated Senior Day and recognized its lone senior, Courtney Carruthers.


 
"I think about the way she has grown over her time here, as a player and as a person," Travillian said. "She has meant a ton to our program through the years. There are games that we don't win without her knocking down some big shots."
 
"I'm instantly reminded of her third collegiate game ever when she dropped 39 points against Emory and Henry. She just came out and killed it from the beginning. She's been a scorer since she got here."
 
Olivia Cathers led the Scots with 11 points tonight, with Carruthers right behind her at 10. Carruthers also led the squad defensively, recording a team-high five steals.



The Scots are back on the road Tuesday afternoon for a CCS matchup against Covenant in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.