Valkyries Stun Cobras, 67-57

Courtesy of Converse Sports Information

Spartanburg, SC-- Ashley Arff and Alaina Smith led the Valkyries to thier first win of the season. Converse improves to 1-12 on the season (1-8 in Conference Carolinas). Coker falls to 4-7 for the season (3-3 in conference play).

Arff grabbed a total of 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals. Smith along with Brandy Williams and Sydney Brown all contributed 12 additional points apiece. Smith also pulled down 10 total rebounds for the night and Williams grabbed 4 steals.

Converse established an early 10 point lead that eventually fell to traded shots withplenty of fouls. The exciting half was marked with the largest lead of 16 points and 2 ties. Although Coker fought to keep up, the half ended with Converse leading by 12 (37-25). The second half showcased some cautious play by both teams as the majority of players found themselves in trouble of fouling-out.

The Valkyries held the edge from layup points (34-12) and points-in-the-paint (40-14) which largely contributed to the win as Coker edged out Converse at the charity stripe (75%-74%), 3-point shooting (18% - 14%), and rebounding (54%-46%).

"We finally found a way to take advantage of opportunities such as putbacks, easy layups, and safe shooting. If we continue to play this hard, I have no doubt we'll see the same results," said Joanna Tincher, head coach for the Valkyries.

The Cobras were led by Kiesha Beavers who contributed 18 total points. Jessica Hayes managed to pull down 9 total rebounds. The Valkyries play again on Saturday at 2:00pm at Erskine, while Coker travels to Belmont Abbey.

Visit cokercobras.com for the latest news and info on Cobras Athletics.