HAMPTON, VA. - A second half rally fell short on Friday night as the Apprentice School lost 61-57 to NAIA Division II Bluefield College at Hampton University's Holland Hall.
Bluefield, who was receiving votes in the latest NAIA Division II National Poll, opened the game on an 8-2 run over the first two minutes as a Kiara Williams 3-pointer put them ahead at the 18 minute mark. The Lady Builders answered with a 19-4 run over the next 7:44 to take its largest lead of the night at 21-12 on an Ashley Johnson jumper with 10:16 left in the half.
The Rams hit a pair of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 21-18, with 7:56 left, but the Lady Builders responded working the lead back to 26-18 on a Shameka Warren jumper with 7:04 left. Apprentice School kept the Rams at bay from there and took a 34-29 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Bluefield opened with a 17-7 run to take a 46-41 advantage on a Heather Ferrell jumper with 13:06 left. The Lady Builders scored the next six points to take a 47-4 lead on a pair of Shameka Warren free throws with 7:45 remaining.
The teams traded the lead for a few minutes as Apprentice School took its final lead on a Warren 3-point play with 5:01 left at 53-51. From there, the Rams closed the game outscoring the Lady Builders 10-4 for the four-point victory.
Warren, playing in her 100th career game as a Lady Builder scored a career-high 21 points, while sophomores Ashley Johnson and LaTorya Grimes added 11 points each. Jonson had 12 rebounds, while Grimes topped the team with 14.
Apprentice School (9-13) will close out the season on Sunday with a 2 pm game at University of District of Columbia.