Cobras Escape With Victory

Laurinburg, NC – Coker escaped St. Andrews Presbyterian College Saturday evening with a 63-61 win in women’s collegiate basketball.  Junior Leanne Chandler buried a jumper as time expired to break a 61-61 tie and give the Cobras a big road victory.  

Coker closes the regular season out with a 11-15 overall record and 9-11 in the CVAC.  St. Andrews finishes at 5-22 and 3-17 in the conference.

Both teams shot the ball well in the first half and exchanged the lead five times before a late run by the Knights.  St. Andrews went on an 11-4 run at the end of the period to take a 38-31 lead into the break. 

Intensity marked the second half nipped at the Knights heels for the majority of the period before finally catching them with 6:15 to play.  Coker took the lead briefly but St. Andrews tied the score back up at 55-55 with 2:53 to play.  Justina Dakins stepped up big in the final minutes, first hitting a three to put the Cobras up 58-55, and then nailing another for a 61-57 lead with 1:44 remaining.

The Knights proved resilient and battled back get within one at 61-60 with a minute to play.  The score remained there for 56 seconds until a foul was called with four seconds left, giving the home team a chance to win the game. 

Dameka Mundy made the first foul shot but her second went astray and the Cobras grabbed the rebound and raced up the court.  Chandler’s jumper as the buzzer sounded was true and Coker celebrated its exciting win.  

Chandler had perhaps her best game as a Cobra with 22 points, 17 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.  Dakins added 10 points and five boards, and junior Shamae Hemingway finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Kebony Thompson led all scorers with 23 points and Erin Fournier connected for 11 more to pace the Knights. 

Coker will host its first CVAC Tournament game in four years on Monday at 7:00 PM.  The opponent will be either Mt. Olive or Erskine, to be determined following weekend action around the CVAC.