Buena Vista, VA - In their regular season finale, the Southern Virginia University women's basketball team honored their six seniors as part of senior day at Knight Arena. The game turned into a smashing success for the Knights as they defeated Pfeiffer, 73-43, to finish undefeated in conference play for the first time in program history.
Seniors Camilla Norton, Taylor Hoopes, Hailey Paige, Alyssa Weiland, and Madisen Staples, were inserted into the starting lineup for the opening tip in a nice gesture from Head Coach Lynette Schroeder. The group scored the game's first five points before Addison Newman subbed in along with some of the Knights' other typical starters.
Even with the Knights quick start, the Falcons remained in touch by the end of the first quarter, trailing 12-11. They even took the lead temporarily in the opening stages of the second, but a layup from Addison Newman put the Knights back in front at 19-18, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Soon after, Camilla Norton drained a couple of shots from beyond the arc, giving her team a 30-25 lead at the midway point.
In the third quarter, they were off and running. Led by the excellent all-around play of Alyssa Weiland, Southern Virgina scored ten straight points to open the half and never looked back. Aysia Foster continued her historic defensive campaign by adding a couple of blocks, giving her 50 in total this season and becoming just the second player in program history to accomplish the feat. Hailey Paige then collected her third bucket of the day to remain perfect from the field and Taylor Hoopes made two free throws, the fifth senior to find the scoresheet, and lead her team into the final frame with a 53-36 lead.
Addison Newman's three in the opening minute of the fourth set the stage for an entertaining final quarter. Holding onto a thirty point lead with just three minutes to play, Schroeder sent out her original starting five of seniors to bring the Knights home. In seemingly their final possession, Madisen Staples drilled a step-back three-pointer to make it a perfect six-for-six for seniors finding the bottom of the net on senior day. The Knights faithful gave a raucous ovation until the final buzzer as the team put a wrap on their first undefeated season in league play.
Fittingly, the seniors led the way in scoring. Camilla Norton and Alyssa Weiland wound up in double-digits, with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Hailey Paige and Addison Newman finished with eight points apiece while Madisen Staples added her three and Taylor Hoopes with two in their home finale.
With the number one seed already locked up by the Knights last week, they'll wait for the final standings to be released by the USA South to see who their opening round opponent will be on Tuesday evening. They have guaranteed home-court advantage in each round they advance to and are looking for an unprecedented third tournament championship in just four seasons. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.
