Appiah-Kubi and Bucs Shine In Dominant Fourth Quarter
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virgin Islands (7-4, 3-2) | 20 | 12 | 16 | 32 | 80 |
|
Truett McConnell (7-6, 4-5) | 16 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 60 |
CLEVELAND, Ga. Behind 30 points from Amber Appiah-Kubi and an absolutely magnificent fourth quarter that saw the Buccaneers outscore host Truett McConnell University, 32-6, the University of the Virgin Islands overpowered the Bears, 80-60, in women's basketball action Wednesday evening.
Entering the fourth quarter, UVI had found itself trailing 54-48 but went on a breath-taking 23-2 run over the period's first five and a half minutes. The Buccaneers held Truett McConnell to 1-of-11 from the field with six turnovers in the final quarter. The Bears' only field goal of the frame came with 23 seconds left in the game. Altogether, the 32 points scored was the most in any quarter by UVI this season and the plus 26-point margin also represented the most in any one quarter.
The 30 points and eight assists from Appiah-Kubi are the most in a single game by any UVI women's player this season. She shot 12-of-25 from the field and added six rebounds and a steal. The 19 assists that UVI had is a new season-high.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final Score: University of the Virgin Islands def. Truett McConnell University, 80-60
Records: UVI Women's 7-4; Truett McConnell 7-6
Location: Benjamin F. Brady Arena; Cleveland, Ga.
Date: December 15, 2021
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Kashay Bass, playing less than two hours from her hometown of Atlanta, Ga. was instrumental in starting the Buccaneers' fourth quarter run. She had two big putbacks following tough offensive rebounds which cut the deficit to 55-54. Appiah-Kubi moved UVI ahead 56-54 following a Melea Lovelace steal and assist and the Buccaneers never looked back from that point on.
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Then came the long range barrage as UVI hit three straight three-pointers, starting with Appiah-Kubi and followed by a pair of treys from Lovelace to extend the Buccaneers' lead to 65-55. Lovelace added another three later in the quarter which gave UVI a 76-58 advantage and Appiah-Kubi closed out the game by going four-of-four at the charity stripe in the last two minutes, earning her the team's first 30-point performance.
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Before the spectacular run, UVI's last lead came at the two-minute mark in the second quarter. Truett McConnell made a three-pointer to take a 31-30 lead, the start of a 9-2 run en route to a 37-32 halftime lead.
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The Bears appeared to have all the momentum entering the fourth quarter as they flipped a tie game at 47-47 into a 54-48 lead, which included a three to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
STAT FACTS
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UVI outrebounded Truett McConnell, 49-31, and outgained them 20-4 in second chance points. The Buccaneers also had a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint.
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Lovelace added 15 points with four rebounds, four assists, and two steals and Kaeani Berry turned in her sixth double-double of the season with 13 boards and 12 points. Berry also had four blocks, her fourth game with at least four blocks.
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Bass finished with six points and six rebounds (four offensive), picking the most opportune time to score her two field goals in the game. The other native child from Atlanta, Ga., Mia Davis had six points, five boards, and two steals.
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Kaya Evans had six points to go along with a season-high 10 rebounds. She had five offensive boards in this game alone after corralling a total of five in the previous 10 games. Kierra Neal had a balanced statline of six points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
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There has been a theme in the Buccaneers' largest scoring efforts. UVI had just 12 turnovers, its second-lowest mark of the season, behind only 10 against Trinity Baptist. The Buccaneers won that game 91-54.
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Re'Tavia Floyd was the only Truett McConnell player to score in double-digits. She had a game-high 23 points on 7-of-19 from the field.
UP NEXT
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It's winter break!!! When the Buccaneers finally do return to the court, it will be at home inside the UVI Sports & Fitness Center on January 16 when they welcome Rust College for the Martin Luther King Classic. Tip-off slated for 2 p.m. AST.
