BREVARD, N.C. - In a rematch of last season's USA South Tournament final, the Southern Virginia University women's basketball team defeated Brevard, 72-68, pushing their unbeaten streak to eight.

The Knights had no trouble scoring in the opening quarter draining three triples and in developing a six point lead at the break.

Another three from Maria Savvun pushed the lead to 11 at the beginning of the second, but the Tornados began to push back. They trimmed the lead to as little as two before a bucket from Savvun in the final possession of the half gave the Knights 36-32 advantage.

Freshman guard Samantha Smith came alive in the third with a strong all-around performance. She ultimately led the team with three steals and hit timely shots to keep her team in front.

Southern Virginia seemed to pull ahead for good after a jumper from Ruth Kempler gave them a thirteen point lead with just over six minutes to play. However, they had to stave off one last run from Brevard.

Clinging to a 70-66 lead in the final moments, a steal from Aysia Foster led to a couple of Savvun free throws to seal a hard-fought victory.

Savvun's 18 points led the team in scoring for the second straight game, while Ruth Kempler was effective in handling a greater allotment of minutes for the first time since suffering an injury early in the season.

Kempler went 5 for 7 from the field to go with four rebounds and a steal. Abigail Snyder led the Knights with five assists. 

Looking Ahead 

Christopher Newport serves as the next opponent for Southern Virginia as they travel to Newport News for a 6:00 PM tipoff on Wednesday, January 28th.

The Knights upset the Captains, ranked in the top ten nationally at the time, in their last meeting a season ago.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.