After sitting with the loss from the prior day to Spartanburg Methodist College, the FSCJ women's basketball team was driven to compete.
FSCJ took the defensive stance from the tip and it played in their favor grabbing the first board of the game on a missed jumper from Catawba Valley. Travonda Jackson went full court but fell short, but teammate Janay Demmitt was able to convert to put FSCJ on the scoreboard first. Lucia Caballero would pick up a steal, but FSCJ turned it over and the possession went right back to the Red Hawks. The first quarter of play was filled with defensive stops, hard transitions and solid completions. FSCJ would gain momentum and dominate the first quarter 20-5 behind the 11-point effort of freshman point guard Janay Demmitt. Demmitt made her first appearance in the starting lineup for FSCJ tonight, after coming off the bench last night to replace Tanaujeah Brown who is now on the injured list.
A very energizer and motivated FSCJ team would take the court in the second quarter, but the visiting Red Hawks were not going down without a fight. Hitting four three-point shots in the second quarter, Catawba Valley managed to dominate FSCJ 22-11 to end the half. Thankfully FSCJ's first quarter performance was enough to hold on to the lead going into the locker ahead 31-27.
The four-point FSCJ advantage would quickly diminish in the third quarter, as both teams struggle to convert. FSCJ's defensive lapses allowed deep penetration into the paint, while missed offensive boards gave Catawba Valley the opportunity to transition. Despite the Red Hawks 12-9 run, FSCJ continues to barely hang on to the lead 40-39.
The final quarter was a battle to the finish. Catawba Valley would hit two three-point shots to stretch the lead, while FSCJ answered back with one from Ameera Nayani to narrow the margin. The final minutes of the game would be plagued by fouls by both teams as they sent each other to the line to battle it out. FSCJ would go 5-8 from the free throw line in the final quarter, while Catawba Valley drew more fouls going 7-10 to hold the lead. With FSCJ unable to maintain the strong start throughout the game, they fell to Catawba Valley Community College in a heartbreaking loss 54-58.
Janay Demmitt had a career high 22 points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals to lead her team. Kyra Frazine finished with her first double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ameera Nayani added 12 points.
FSCJ drops to 1-5 on the season and will be back in action Tuesday, Nov 21st at 6:00 p.m. against Trinity Baptist.