ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. – Southern Virginia University collected a competitive 62-49 victory over Wellesley College basketball during the second day of the St. Pete Classic on Tuesday. The contest was the first matchup between the two programs.

Senior Abigail Snyder (Rocky Ford, Colo.) was the high-scorer for the Knights (6-4) with 22 points, including four three-pointers. Snyder also led Southern Virginia with four assists and five steals.Three other players ended the game with 10+ points and the Knights ended the game with a 43-33 rebound advantage. 

Sophomore Ava Shane (Plano, Texas) controlled the point production for the Blue (4-6). Shane finished with 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Junior Trinity Barrow (Evans, Ga.) moved into eighth in Blue program history in total steals with two on Tuesday. Barrow added 10 points to the statsheet.

Wellesley was up 6-5 after four minutes of action with a pair of layups from Shane. The Knights found its offensive groove from there, ending the period on a 12-1 run. 

In the first three minutes of the second, the Blue cut the deficit to six at 19-13, with six points scored by sophomore Stacy Chen (Minneapolis, Minn.). From there the two teams alternated scoring for much of the period. With one second left in the half, Shane connected on a layup to go into the break down just four, 26-22.

Southern Virginia began the second half in emphatic style, tallying 13 unanswered points over a five minute span before a Wellesley three from sophomore Emaleena Elson (Irvine, Calif.) found its mark. A 10-2 run from the Blue got the game back within striking distance at 41-32 with 1:09 left in the third quarter. A late basket from the Knights made it 43-32 with one quarter left to play.

SVU's lead hovered between 10 and 15 for much of the fourth stanza. The Knights put the game out of reach late, bringing the score to 62-45 with just under two minutes remaining. 

Wellesley returns to New England on Saturday, January 3 to play a 1:00 PM game at University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). Southern Virginia competes in a 2:00 PM road game at Salem College that same day.