Lady Pioneers Claw Out First Conference Win In Florida

Lady Pioneers Claw Out First Conference Win In Florida- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 1-12-24

* Photo Credit: Autumn Winston Burk*

Crowley's Ridge College- 88

Florida National University- 87

Temple Terrace, FL- The Lady Pioneers hit the court this afternoon at Florida College in the CAC Classic where they took on conference opponent, Florida National University. Crowley's Ridge entered the contest (0-2) in the conference but found the magic they needed to claim their first conference win of the season thanks to three clutch Lady Pioneers.

Crowley's Ridge emerged victorious in the opening two-quarters of action by edging past the Conquistadors with the Lady Pioneers taking a two-point lead into the break, 37-35 but soon faced adversity as a strong second-half effort from the Lady Conquistadors tested CRC's longevity. After the intermission, FNU reinstated their authority in the third quarter by flipping the tables and reclaiming the lead with a 10-point double-digit gap over the Pioneers with an impressive 30-point quarter. Now with the pressure of dropping their third conference game in a row in full swing, CRC entered the final ten minutes of regulation sure-handed and confident. Thanks to the entire team's gusto, even though down 10 points, the Lady Pioneers stood tall not cracking, and clawed out the conference win. As the final precious seconds of the game ticked away, at the 1:34 mark sophomore Reigiana Ward hit a crucial three-pointer making the contest a one-possession game, 85-84. The very next Pioneer Possession Ward again found a way as the guard bucketed a 12-foot jumper which gave CRC the 86-85 lead with just under a minute left in regulation. Florida National wouldn't give up so easily as they produced a game-leading shot with 40 seconds on the clock before two lady Pioneers drew the foul and called the game for CRC. With just 24 seconds left in the game senior Travia Woodruff stepped to the charity stripe shooting 1-2, tying the contest 87-87. After the Florida National offense was unable to produce, sophomore Hunter Gibson plunged the final dagger into the Conquistadors as the Jonesboro, Arkansas, native sank one free throw giving CRC the 88-87 lead with 2 seconds remaining. The CRC defense became impenetrable on the inbounded ball as the final two seconds ticked off, sounding the buzzer, giving CRC their first conference win of the season in dramatic fashion. 

Hunter Gibson led the Lady Pioneers with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Reigiana Ward crossed the finish line second for CRC with her 17-point evening. Though Ansley Dawson's 20-point streak was snapped the freshman still finished with a respectable 15 points in the win. Finally, Travia Woodruff ended tonight's contest one stat shy of a triple-double as the senior collected 12 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists.

Up Next: CRC WBB will take on Voorhees University tomorrow at 11:00 AM CST. #GOPIONEERS