STILL DANCIN' - COBRAS MOVE ON TO SWEET SIXTEEN, DEFEAT CARSON-NEWMAN

Dahlonega, GA – It's another first for the Cobras - Coker Women's Basketball is headed to the Sweet Sixteen! They defeated Carson-Newman in an instant classic to book their spot in the regional title match-up.

By The Numbers

Final Score: Coker 48, Carson-Newman 44
Records: Coker 28-5 (23-5 SAC), Carson-Newman 23-9 (18-6 SAC)
Location: Dahlonega, GA | University of North Georgia

Top Performers

Mya Wasswa: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
Shawnteanna Tillman: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals
Mariah Mitchem: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

How It Happened

An early lead materialized for the Cobras when Wasswa hit the first two shots to take them up 4-0. An answer by Carson-Newman put it back to one possession, but Kristynn Knight answered right back with a shot of her own to make it 6-2. The Eagles closed the gap and eventually took a 10-7 lead over the Cobras with 3:58 remaining in the period. A few free throws by Mitchem and Dasia Ferguson got it back even at 10, followed by Knight scoring again to take the lead at 12-10 right as the quarter expired.

Within the first four minutes of the second quarter, Carson-Newman was meshing well together on the court, going on a 10-1 run to take a 20-13 lead. Mitchem interrupted the run with a lay-up to bring it to 20-15 to stop the extended run. Down 22-17, Carson-Newman hit some big shots, which ultimately resulted in a 26-18 lead for them. They ended up extending this lead to ten by the break, and the Cobras headed into the locker room down 30-20.

After a Kamari Thompson lay-up pushed this game within single digits, Carson-Newman extended the lead to thirteen at 35-22 with some buckets of their own. Eventually, the Cobras found themselves down 37-27 at the 6:15 mark in the period. From then on, it was all Coker for the rest of the period. They went on an 11-0 run to take a 38-37 lead into the fourth quarter. The run was sparked by free throws from Wasswa and ended with free throws from Mitchem.

No team scored any points in the fourth until the 7:09 mark when the Eagles tied it up at 38-38 on a free throw. The rest of the quarter was a physical, defensive battle, with the next bucket coming at the 4:49 mark when Tillman hit a lay-up to make this a 40-38 game. Carson-Newman tied it shortly after, but Mitchem got the bucket right back to make it 42-40. Tied at 42-42, Tillman put her squad ahead with a free throw at 43-42, before Carson-Newman tied it with a free throw of their own.

The intensity within the last minute of this game had fans on the edge of their seats both in the arena and watching from home. Wasswa grabbed the rebound off the missed free throw by Carson-Newman, and the ball found the hands of Kristynn Knight, who went up for a lay-up to take the 45-43 lead with just 25 seconds left on the clock. With eight seconds left, Mitchem fouled, but Carson-Newman only made one shot from the stripe to make it 45-44. Down the other end of the floor, Tillman was fouled with five seconds left and split the pair to make this 46-44. Then, with the game on the line, Mya Wasswa comes up with the steal of her life on the inbound and gets fouled with under one second to be played. With ice in her veins, she sinks both, and the Cobras walk away with the huge win!

Notables

• The Cobras continue to etch their names in the history books every time they play, with this next game being the first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance for Coker Women's Basketball
• With her 15 points today, Wasswa now only needs nine points to reach 1000 in her career
• The Cobras forced 16 turnovers while only committing 8 themselves in a defensive-minded contest

Up Next

The Cobras await the winner of tonight's other Southeast Regional Semi-Final, with Columbus State and host-team North Georgia competing in a rematch of their own. The Regional Final will take place at 7:00 PM ET on Monday; more information to come!