Fredericksburg, VA - On the heels of their biggest win of the young season, the Southern Virginia University women's basketball team visited an old conference-foe, Mary Washington. After a back and forth contest through thirty minutes, the Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure their fifth consecutive victory, 63-51.
The Knights had the upper hand in the game's early moments, jumping out to a 9-2 lead thanks to Aysia Foster connecting on her first three field goal attempts. Maria Savvun had an effective first quarter distributing the ball, dishing out four assists. Despite the early deficit, the Eagles responded with a run of their own and trailed by just two heading into the second frame, 18-16.
Turnovers plagued Southern Virginia over the first several minutes of the second, leading to 12 total points off turnovers for Mary Washington in the opening half. After relinquishing the lead for the first time and trailing by as much as four points, the Knights dug themselves out of the hole and scored eight of the final nine points in the half to take a 30-27 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter remained tight, with neither team building a comfortable lead. Maria Savvun nailed a couple of three-pointers to keep her team in the lead, but Mary Washington remained in touch.
With Ruth Kempler in foul trouble, her frontcourt mate, Aysia Foster, was a key all-around performer down the stretch. After the Eagles tied the game at 45 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Foster led her team on a dominant run the rest of the way, highlighted by her rebounding and four blocked shots.
After a free throw-filled final minute, the Knights were able to put away Mary Washington for good to complete an undefeated week, 63-51. Foster delivered her first double-double of the season and was joined by Maria Savvun and Abigail Snyder who also finished with double digits in scoring.
The team will have a break in competition for the next several days before traveling to North Carolina Wesleyan for their USA South opener against the Battling Bishops. That matchup will occur on Friday, December 13th, at 6:00 PM, after which the Knights will return to the court the next morning for a matchup with Piedmont.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.
