 |  |
Audio | Recap | Box Score
Peace downs Meredith for first conference win
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meredith (4-10, 2-6) | 26 | 35 | 61 |
| Peace (1-7, 2-13) | 38 | 34 | 72 |
| Raleigh, N.C. (Hermann Center) | |||
| Meredith | Peace |
|---|---|
| Pts: RAHN, Megan - 25 | Pts: Crystal Alston - 19 |
| Reb: RAHN, Megan - 11 | Reb: Derrica Jones - 9 |
| Ast: STEPHENSON, Allyson - 5 | Ast: Megan Bridges - 3 |
| Team Statistics | Meredith | Peace |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 42.6% (20-47 ) | 37.3% (22-59 ) |
| Rebounds | 35 | 41 |
| Assists | 10 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 28 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 19 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 19 |
Raleigh, N.C. – Crystal Alston scored 19 points to lead the Peace Pacers to their first USA South Conference win of the season with a 72-61 win over inter-city rival Meredith Wednesday night in front of a standing-room only crowd of 240 at the Hermann Center.
It was the seventh straight win in the series for Peace (2-13, 1-7). The victory snapped a six-game losing streak overall for the Pacers and a nine-game conference losing streak that stretched back to the end of the 2010-11 season.
Peace picked up full court right from the very start, which seemed to shake the visitors. Meredith had 17 turnovers in the first half, which helped the Pacers take a 38-26 lead into intermission.
"That's the way we want to play," Peace coach Kelly Johnson said. "We tried to pick up ¾ court and just pressure the ball on the way up. We've done it just a couple of times in practice."
Also helping the Pacers in the first half was Avenging Angels star Megan Rahn going to the bench with two fouls. Meredith's offense bogged down without the USA South's leading scorer on the court, which allowed Peace to build the 12-point halftime edge.
However, the Angels regrouped at halftime and opened up the second half with much crisper ball movement than they showed in the first half. Meredith went on a 10-2 run early in the second half to make it a game.
While the Angels played much better, the Pacers struggled without senior Megan Bridges on the floor at the start of the second period, as Johnson tried to protect her since she had three fouls.
Bridges quickly got back in the game and she was a stabilizing force for the rest of the game.
"She did a good job," Johnson said of his point guard. "One time she went to the basket too early but other than that she controlled the game like she should. Megan calmed it down a little bit. She's strong with the ball and is hard to take the ball away from."
Peace set a season-high with its 72 points. The Pacers moved the ball well and had four players in double-digits, led by Alston's 19. The sophomore Alston's clutch foul shooting played a big role down the stretch, as she converted 7-8 from the line.
But there were plenty of stars for Peace Wednesday. Krystal Williams had 14 points while Callie Yohn and Mia Sloan each added 11. Yohn pulled down 7 rebounds and had 3 blocks. She had at least two other clean blocks negated by fouls with the body.
Derrica Jones went 6-7 from the line to finish with 8 points. She also pulled down 9 boards and took a turn checking Rahn defensively.
The Pacers shot the ball well, especially from the line where they converted 71 percent of their attempts. They also outrebounded the Angels, 41-34.
Rahn finished with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Meredith (4-10, 2-6).
Peace returns to action Saturday with another home game, as it hosts conference foe Christopher Newport at 2:00 PM. The Captains are atop the USA South standings with a 6-1 record and they stand 11-3 overall coming into Wednesday night.
