DENVER – The Ladies trailed by five in the first quarter, but a 12-0 run gave the visitors the lead over the Wildcats for good as Centenary (4-10, 2-4 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) knocked off Johnson & Wales (0-12, 0-7 SCAC) 80-73 Saturday night, January 5.
Down 13-8 four minutes into the game, Centenary scored the next 12 points and went on a 15-1 run overall to take the lead for good. Freshman Priya Ponia made a triple and sophomore Haylee Washington made a layup to tie the game.
Washington finished the game with 12 points and 11 boards for her first double-double of the season.
Ponia hit another three to give Centenary its first lead since 3-0 before sophomore Bre Frierson added a layup. Senior Jasmine Morris hit a pair from the line to out the Ladies up seven.
Morris finished the game with 17 points, including an 11-for-12 mark from the charity stripe.
Johnson & Wales cut the lead to 20-14 at the end of the first quarter with a split from the line, but Ponia began the second with a three for the Ladies.
Centenary never led by less than four until late in the game. Clinging to a 66-64 lead, senior Savanah Doty hit an important corner three to put the Ladies up five. Johnson & Wales cut it the lead to four, but Ponia hit back-to-back triples to put Centenary up double-digits with 2:17 left in the game.
Centenary held on to the win thanks in part to a 4-for-6 mark from behind the arc in the fourth quarter.
Frierson came off the bench for 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting while Ponia added 15 points in five threes. Doty came off the bench for 10 points.
Johnson & Wales trailed by nine in the fourth before an 11-4 run cut the deficit to a single bucket. Shaylee Andreatta made a layup and Katey Guzman hit a three as Centenary led just 62-58 with 7:17 left in the game. Junior Deunya Small made a layup of on offensive rebound, but Guzman answered with another three for the Wildcats. Frierson made a layup, but a three by Brianna Bailey brought the home team within two.
Guzman (30) and Bailey (24) combined for 54 of the Wildcats 73 points on the game.
Centenary takes a two-week break from conference action but returns to the court next Saturday, January 12, at nationally-ranked East Texas Baptist. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.