MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Women's basketball took to the road to pick up a nail-biting victory, courtesy of a buzzer-beater from Lauren Ellard to lift them over Huntingdon to open up their season.
Ava Travis was dominant on the inside off the bench, as she led the team in scoring with 18 points and 8 rebounds in just 20 minutes. Elly Callihan was up to her usual activities, as the senior poured in 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds in the win. Briaiah Lewis and freshmen Avery Payne each scored 13 to round out the Berry double-digit scorers. Lewis also had a career-high 7 assists.
The game began with Lewis and Payne both getting it done offensively, as they combined for 9 out of the 13 first-quarter points for the Vikings who trailed the Hawks 13-17 early on. The deficit continued to grow for the Vikings in the second quarter, as a Huntingdon three-ball made the score 23-15 with 8 minutes left in the second quarter. The Vikings continued to hang around though, as Ava Travis knocked down a pair of free throws to bring the Vikings back within 6 with just over 3 minutes left in the half. More back and forth play led to the Vikings facing a 6-point halftime deficit, 23-29.
The Hawks came out hot from beyond the arc at the beginning of the second half, as they led by as many as 13 in the third period. Late in the third quarter, sophomore Briaiah Lewis decided to get going, scoring four straight points to bring the Vikings back within seven with just 3 minutes left in the third. A few plays later, Lewis dished the ball over to her frontcourt mate Elly Callihan who drained a three-pointer to bring Bery back within 2, 44-42. Moments later, the frontcourt friendly fire continued with Ava Travis this time finding Callihan for another three pointer to tie the game at 46. The Hawks responded with two late third quarter three's of their own to retake a 53-46 lead heading into the fourth.
Midway through the fourth, the Vikings still trailed by 6 with 6:49 to play.Freshman Isabella Ramirez got into the paint and finished a layup to bring the Vikings within four, courtesy of yet another assist from Briaiah Lewis. With 4 and a half minutes to play and still facing a three-point deficit, the Vikings' full court pressure defensively forced a turnover. On the very next possession, freshman Avery Payne soared in for an offensive rebound and putback that cut the Huntingdon lead to just one point, 63-62.
The two teams continued to trade buckets down the stretch, with neither gaining a true advantage. With just under 10 seconds to go, Huntingdon gained possession off of a Viking miss, but then turned the ball over, as they tried to outlet the ball down the court. With the fate of the game in the balance, it was none other than senior Lauren Ellard to take the last shot. She received the inbounds pass from Briaiah Lewis on the right wing, took a decisive dribble to the baseline, and lofted a perfect floater which pierced the net as the buzzer sounded to seal a thrilling 71-69 victory for the Vikings.
Berry returns to action on November 15 as they compete in the CCS/SAA Classic against LaGrange at 4 PM ET.
