Traylor’s 28 Points Power Pioneers Past Bluefield, 84–54

SPARTANBURG, SC - Senior Halle Traylor led three Pioneers in double figures with a game-high 28 points as Spartanburg Methodist College led nearly wire-to-wire in an 84–54 win over Bluefield on Saturday afternoon.

Spartanburg Methodist College (13–10, 8–8 AAC) was sparked by Traylor, who scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half as the Pioneers shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the floor and carried a 43–28 lead into the halftime break. Traylor was joined in double figures by Zy Bell and Najah Gilliam, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Bluefield (3–20, 2–13 AAC) was paced by an 11-point, nine-rebound effort from Anna Smith. Zoey Snavely came off the bench to score 10 points for the Rams.

SMC head coach Reid Walling praised his team's effort and commitment to one another that was on display throughout the contest.

"After hitting some adversity over the last two weeks, this group proved again they can push right through the storm," Walling said. "Part of that is having players who don't typically log a lot of minutes, or any minutes, who care and compete like they're playing 30 minutes a game. That's what makes this group special, and I'm really happy our team is starting to see results from the work they've been putting in."

The third quarter saw the Pioneers extend their lead, outscoring Bluefield 17–13. The final 10 minutes featured a significant amount minutes for the SMC reserves, highlighted by Diamond Dundy scoring six points on a pair of three-pointers, Diamond Tatum adding seven points, and Ashley Jones knocking down three free throws.

Next, SMC will host conference leader Milligan on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.