ST. AUGUSTINE –
N'Mya Pierce led four players in double figures with 20 points as Flagler College overcame an early deficit to defeat Anderson University 66-60 in a Southeast Region Crossover Tournament women's basketball mutual season opener Friday at Flagler Gymnasium.
Pierce finished with a double-double as she grabbed 10 rebounds and added three blocked shots.
Tori Pearce added 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while
Sadie Russell came off the bench to provide 12 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
Taylor Gardner poured in 11 points in her collegiate debut.
"I thought Anderson did a really good job in the first half switching defenses that kept us off balance," said head coach
Mo Smith. "Their size also hurt us inside early on. We settled down in the second half and did a much better job with our defense and making some shots we were missing in the first half. I was really proud of our ladies' resilience and us keeping composure."
The Trojans scored the first 16 points of the game and held a 20-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Anderson led by as many as 24 (32-8) in the second quarter and took a 35-18 lead into the locker room.
Flagler used a 27-8 third quarter thanks to nine points each from Pearce and Gardner. The Saints made 52.9 percent (9-17) of their shots from the field and outscored the bigger Trojans in the paint 16-2.
The Saints used a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to break a 54-all tie. Pierce had six points in the spurt. Flagler outscored Anderson 48-25 in the second half.
Shameka McNeill led Anderson with 13 points while Taylor Hair added 10 more. Britney Bailey grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Flagler takes on the University of Virginia's College at Wise tomorrow at 2 p.m. to conclude the regional crossover tournament.
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