SMC Shows Growth, Grit in Victory Over CIU

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Spartanburg Methodist College women's basketball team snapped a six-game losing streak with a 63–53 win over CIU on Wednesday night.

SMC (5-6, 1-5 AAC) senior Destiny Middleton recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pioneers. She was joined in double figures by Najah Gilliam and Krystal Johnson, who had 13 and 12 points, respectively. Halle Traylor added nine points, five rebounds, and three steals in the win.

CIU (4-8, 2-4 AAC) was paced by a 13-point effort from Katie Johnson. The Rams were held to 28.1 percent (18-for-64) shooting from the field and 22.1 percent (6-for-27) from beyond the 3-point line.

"It was a great team effort," said SMC head coach Reid Walling. "I am just really happy for our players. Coming off a month that has really tested us, we showed our resilience tonight. It's really hard to stay focused on the process when you're going through it, but we stayed focused on the right things and stayed together. I'm really excited to see this group continue to grow."

A five-point spurt that included a 3-pointer by Kamya Hatten just before the buzzer to end the first quarter put the visiting Pioneers ahead 15–11 after the first 10 minutes. The Rams managed to make it a two-point game on two occasions, including 31–29 with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

Holding on to their two-point lead, the Pioneers went on a 9–2 spurt and remained in front for the rest of the contest to spoil the comeback hopes of the host Rams.

Next, SMC will travel to Bluefield (Va.) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

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