FINAL SCORE: Apprentice School 57, Bluefield State 54

RECORDS: Apprentice School 4-8, Bluefield State 1-11

LOCATION: Ned E. Shott Physical Education Building Gymnasium/Bluefield, W.Va.

IN BRIEF: The Apprentice School seized control of the game with a 15-0 run in the third quarter, but Bluefield State wouldn't go away. After the Lady Blues came back to tie the game at 54-54 late in the game, Courtney White knocked down a 3-pointer for the deciding basket.

ON THE COURT

• After a Bluefield State turnover, Ylexzis Traeger got the Apprentice School on the board with a jumper at 19:19. The Lady Blues would tie the score at the 7:57 mark with a jumper of their own. Traeger then made another jumper, Hayley Marshall converted a free-throw, and Jessica Neighbors added another free-throw to put the Lady Builders up 6-2 (4:07).
• The Lady Blues took brief control of the game 7-6 with a layup and a 3-pointer, but the Lady Builders scored five straight to close out the opening quarter. A Traeger free-throw, a Neighbors jumper, and a Quanisha Bruce layup made it 11-7.
• Bluefield State tied things up at 11-11 with a couple of quick baskets to start the second quarter. The teams then traded the lead multiple times and would tie the score at 20-20, 22-22, 24-24, and 27-27. After several missed shots by both teams and a steal by Courtney White, Neighbors connected on a layup with :04 remaining. The basket gave the Apprentice School a 29-27 adavantage at the break.
• The Lady Builders remained in control throughout the third quarter. After a couple of Traeger free-throws, Tanasia Blake drained a deep-ball to pull the Lady Blues within 31-30. The Apprentice School defense then took over and held Bluefield State scoreless for over seven minutes as the Lady Builders scored 15 unanswered points.
• The Lady Blues responded with a 10-0 run of their own, bookended by a pair of 3-pointers. The second long-range bucket came with :01 on the clock and pulled Bluefield State within 46-40.
• Bluefield State fought its way back in the fourth quarter. After a Tierra Richberg layup at 3:21 cut the Builder lead to 52-50, White made both of her free-throw attempts. The Lady Blues then made back-to-back scores to knot the score at 54-54 with 2:12 to play.
• White connected from deep at the 2:05 mark for what would be the winning basket. Neither team could get shots to fall as there were turnovers and defensive rebounds on both sides. Jesslyn Fullerton had a couple looks from beyond the arc, but couldn't get her shots to drop and the Apprentice School would hold on for the win.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Traeger recorded a 24-point, 13-rebound double to pace the team. White and Neighbors followed with 12 points each. Bruce pulled down 12 boards and Marshall led the team with 3 steals.
• The Apprentice School shot 33.3% (23-of-69) from the field, 11.1% (2-of-18) from beyond the arc, and 69.2% (9-of-13) from the charity stripe.
• The Lady Builders outrebounded their opponents 51-44 and also led in second-chance points (11-1).
• The Apprentice School scored 14 points off the bench, while the Bluefield State bench contributed 19 points.
• The game featured eight ties and eight lead changes.

NEXT UP

The Lady Builders return from the holidays with a January 3rd game at home against Bridgewater College (Va.). The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Eagles (3-4) are competing in the 2015 Las Vegas Hoopla with games against Goucher College (Md.) on Decemeber 20th and the University of Scranton (Pa.) on December 21st.

Fans attending the January 3rd game are reminded that they can park on the 3rd deck of the parking garage located on the corner of 31st Street and West Avenue, adjacent to the south side of the Apprentice School. Parking attendants will be located on the west side of the garage as well as around the perimeter of the school. Additional directional signage will be in place to lead you to the garage.

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