Brenau Basketball Wins At Buzzer

November 11, 2013

In a thrilling finish, freshman Quinnesha Turner scored the go-ahead basket with 1.3 seconds left to give the Brenau Golden Tigers basketball team a 70-69 victory over Warner (Fla.) University.

The Golden Tigers started fast, taking an early 10 point lead as Brittney Wiley (Royston, Ga.) and Claire Zimmerman (Woodstock, Ga.) hit early three pointers. Jasmine Butler added eight first half points to give Brenau a five-point halftime lead.

Warner came out of the intermission with a 17-1 run to take a 12 point lead in the second half. Despite poor shooting, the Golden Tigers chipped away at the Royals' lead with strong free throw shooting and some key baskets. Wiley hit back to back three-point baskets to cut the lead to eight, while freshman Nekeia Brown (Danielsville, Ga.) converted a basket and foul shot to cut the Warner lead to five. Sophomore Kalin Williams (Palmetto, Ga.) hit a three pointer to make the score 68-64.

After Warner converted one out of two three pointers with 58 seconds to play, Williams scored a driving layup to cut the deficit to 69-66. Wiley stole a pass at half court to cut the Royals' lead to 69-68. On the inbounds, Golden Tiger full-court pressure forced another turnover with five seconds remaining. Out of a time out, Turner caught the ball on the left side of the floor and drove the lane, floating a shot over two defenders to give Brenau a 70-69 victory.

"I am so proud of how our team responded to adversity," said head coach Kris Stewart. "We kept fighting and put ourselves in position to win at the end. Turner made a really tough shot to give us the lead, but it was an excellent team win".

Wiley led the Golden Tigers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Butler finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Brown added a career- high 13 points and five rebounds. Williams (Palmetto, Ga.) added 10 points and five rebounds to the win..

Marie Fleurival led all scorers with 25 points for Warner.

Brenau (2-2) opens their SSAC schedule on Friday when they host William Carey University at 5:30 pm.