ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Berry Women's Basketball Team took to the St. Pete Classic for day one of play against the Blue Devils of Wisconsin Stout, falling short in a 58-55 defeat at the buzzer.
Leading scorer for the day,
Sylvia Kahoro started the game off with a three to take the lead and then ended the Vikings scoring for the day with a late triple to garner her 12-points in the matchup.
The first ten minutes was a back-and-forth match against two very similar teams, trading baskets until Berry had the lead at 10-8 heading into the second. However, to end the first half, the Blue Devils put up 25 second quarter points to outscore the Vikings by 10 with key runs and triples to handle the game into halftime.
Heading into the third, the Vikings tried to chip away at the lead, but Wisconsin-Stout still held the advantage and distance of a nine-point advantage after freshman
Briaiah Lewis notched two free throws.
It was now time for Berry to show out and grind to the finish in the last 10 minutes of play. A 6-0 run from Berry to open the quarter left the score within a possession (45-42). Then junior
Elly Callihan hit two free throws to tie the game at 47 with just under three minutes left.
The final seconds were thrilling.
Sylvia Kahoro tied the game at 55 with two second left, nailing a huge three-point basket. The Blue Devils then called a timeout to advance the ball to half court, where a Viking deflects the ball to give the team 1.3 seconds at a second attempt to score before the end of regulation. Wisconsin Stout threw the ball in and threw up a prayer attempt three that banked in as the buzzer went off, defeating the Vikings.
Berry returns for day two of the St. Pete Classic tomorrow against North Park University at 1:00 PM ET.
