LATE SCORING SURGE LIFTS WESLEYAN

Wesleyan College scored seven of the game's final nine points to thwart a late Judson College rally in the Pioneers' 83-79 victory at Porter Gymnasium on Friday night.

Picking up their fourth win of the season, the Pioneers eclipsed the program's win total from the previous four seasons combined.

An entertaining game from the opening tip, the contest featured nine ties and 15 lead changes between the Pioneers (4-11) and the Lady Falcons (0-12). Judson scored the first five points of the game and lead by as many as four points in the second half.

Wesleyan seemed to put the game out of reach late in the second half after Kassandra Epps capped a 13-3 run with a steal and transition lay-up that put the Pioneers ahead 76-67 with less than three-and-a-half minutes to play. However, the Lady Falcons answered by scoring 10 straight points in less than two minutes to regain a 77-76 advantage following Sarah Fowler's third three-pointer of the night. On the next possession, Brandy McDowell buried a clutch three-pointer to hand the lead back to Wesleyan and Erin Williams would nail four straight free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the victory.

"This is probably one of the first games we have won on free throw shooting," commented second-year Wesleyan head coach Jason Henry. "We showed a lot of heart to pull that game out at the end."

McDowell and Epps each scored a game-high 22 points while Williams finished with 16 points highlighted by a 12-of-14 effort from the line. The Pioneers scored a season-high 83 points despite not denting the scoreboard until three minutes into the game. Simone Paige finished with 19 points to pace five Lady Falcons in double figures.

Wesleyan returns to Great South Athletic Conference action when they host Piedmont College on Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00pm and admission is free.