Cobras Defend Home Court Behind Shull's 20, Take Down Queens 50-46

By: Jake Miller

HARTSVILLE, S.C.- Coker women's basketball took down Queens 50-46 for a pivotal South Atlantic Conference win on Wednesday (Feb. 1). 

Coker appeared to hold Queens down offensively in the first quarter, but the Royals found their stroke late in the frame and the teams finished 10 minutes tied at 12. The teams would also put up 14 points apiece and go to the half tied at 26. After the Royals notched the first bucket of the frame, Sydney Shull knocked down a three-pointer to put Coker up 15-14. Shull splitting a pair of free throws followed by an Iresha Cooper bucket paved the way for Shull to notch eight of her 20 points in the frame. Shull had the hot hand before the halfway point, scoring on Coker's next two possessions. A pair of Trai Johnson free throws and another Cooper layup would be all the scoring for the Navy and Gold in the half.

Shull continued her hot shooting in the second half, knocking down three consecutive free throws to jump-start the Cobra offense. The Cobras outscored Queens 12-7 in the third, taking a 38-33 lead to the final 10 minutes. The Royals responded with six straight points to open the final quarter to take a brief one-point lead, before Caitland Considine got in on the action and got the home team's advantage back. The teams would go back and forth and Shull would deliver a huge blow in the form of yet another three-pointer to give Coker a two-possession lead with 3:15 left in the game. The teams would trade buckets before the junior would put the win on ice with a pair from the charity stripe.

Shull led all scorers with 20, while Cooper chipped in 10. Five other Cobras notched points in the win. As a team, Coker forced 21 turnovers, scored 17 points off those turnovers and added 13 points off of second chances.

The Cobras hit the road on Saturday (Jan. 4) when they travel to Anderson for a South Atlantic Conference matinee. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.

McDonald's Player of the Game- Sydney Shull