Pioneers Lead Wire-to-Wire in 64-46 Win, Advance to Quarterfinals

From the opening basket by Destiny Middleton, the No. 7 seed Spartanburg Methodist College women's basketball team led from start to finish in a 64-46 win over No. 10 seed Union Commonwealth on Wednesday.

Halle Traylor sparked a key run early in the second quarter, scoring six of the first eight points to push the lead into double digits — where it remained for the rest of the contest. SMC stretched its advantage to as many as 22 points.

Traylor led the Pioneers with 20 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, as SMC improved to 16-13 on the season. Krystal Johnson added 16 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting, while Zy Bell contributed seven rebounds and three steals.

Union Commonwealth, which finishes the season at 8-20, was led by Kylie Noe's double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. SMC's defensive pressure held the Bulldogs to 34% shooting (17-of-50) from the field.

With the win, the Pioneers advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 26, where they will face No. 2 seed Bryan at 7:30 p.m. at the MeadowView Marriott Convention Center & Conference Resort in Kingsport, Tenn. It marks the second consecutive season SMC has reached the conference tournament quarterfinals.