Bridgewater, VA - Amidst their longest winning streak in program history, the Southern Virginia University women's basketball team visited Bridgewater College for an important non-conference matchup. After a tightly contested defensive battle, the Knights left Bridgewater victorious, extending their win streak to 18 games by way of a 59-52 decision.
Early on, the Knights came out firing and scored the first eight points of the first quarter. Abigail Snyder and Alyssa Weiland, two players who have stood out offensively this season, combined for those points to secure an early advantage on the road. After being blanked for nearly five minutes into the opening frame, Bridgewater eventually found their footing and slowly trimmed back their deficit. They even took the lead at 12-11, but a jumper from Snyder gave the Knights back the lead.
Like in the first, the Knights were off and running in the early stages of the second quarter. Camilla Norton's three at 6:40 capped off a 10-0 run, stretching their lead to 25-15. Maria Savvun dished the ball to her teammates for five assists in the opening half, continuing a career-best season as a playmaker. Despite a big surge from the Knights, Bridgewater remained in touch and entered halftime with a deficit of just two points, 30-28.
In the second half, both teams struggled to find twine. While the shots weren't falling as they would have liked, Ruth Kempler helped the Knights dominate the offensive board battle. Bridgewater, typically a stingy defensive team, had Southern Virginia locked with them in another low-scoring battle.
Towards the end of the third quarter, the Knights had to confront a critical time of adversity when Bridgewater used an 8-0 run to take the lead. Entering the final frame, the Knights trailed, 40-39. The teams traded chances in the fourth, but points remained hard to come by as the Knights could only muster five points in five minutes and were in desperate need of an offensive boost. When opportunity knocks, Abigail Snyder has often answered the call and looked to give her team the push they needed.
With the Knights trailing 46-44 with under five minutes to play, the reigning USA South player of the week took her play to another level with several key buckets. She rattled off 10 points in clutch time to will her team to victory. The biggest shot of the night was Snyder's corner three with forty seconds left which vaulted the Knights into the lead. After a big defensive stop and two made free throws, Ruth Kempler put the icing on the cake with a solo layup, giving her team another signature victory, 59-52.
Snyder led both teams with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Addison Newman, who made several important shots at critical moments, added a game-high of three steals. As a team knocking on the door of securing a spot as one of the top 25 teams nationally, the win is key for Southern Virginia as they inch closer to the postseason. It's also their second win against a top-five team in the region.
Moving forward, the Knights will shift their focus back to the USA South for their final three games of the regular season. They'll face Methodist on Saturday, February 15th, at 2:00 PM. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.
