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WHEELING, W. Va. -- Sylvia Hudson and
Sa'Dera Johnson combined to score 55 points in Urbana's 86-76 win over Wheeling Jesuit Wednesday night inside the McDonough Center.
Besides winning the final two games, UU (4-21, 4-17 MEC) also needed West Virginia State to lose twice for the Blue Knights to earn the final MEC Tournament berth. Unfortunately, WVSU upset Concord on the road Wednesday night and eliminated UU from postseason play.
// LEADERS
Hudson led the Blue Knights with her ninth double-double and 27th of her career with 33 points and 17 rebounds. The junior forward was efficient, finishing 13 of 22 from the field in 32 minutes.
Playing against her former team, Johnson posted career-highs in points (22) and rebounds (7) while going 4 of 4 from beyond the arc with 14 points in the first half. Freshman
Nikki Current scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high eight boards. Current also knocked down a personal-best seven free throws on eight attempts. Junior
Jada Love also added eight points and three boards in 19 minutes off the bench.
WJU's Chenelle Moore led the Cardinals with a double-double effort by posting 17 points and 15 rebounds.
// HOW IT HAPPENED
UU started fast by jumping out to a 14-3 lead on Johnson's second 3-pointer midway through the opening quarter. The Blue Knights dominated the offensive glass and outscored the Cardinals 12-0 in second-chance points in the first 10 minutes.
UU remained out in front until halftime by shooting 55 percent over the first 20 minutes of action as Hudson and Johnson combined for 32 of the team's 45 points. The Blue and Grey led 25-10 after one quarter and then built a 45-28 halftime advantage.
Then, UU extended its lead to as much as 22 points on a Hudson layup with 6:39 in the third quarter. However, WJU put together a 10-0 run to get within 11 points near the end of the third but the Blue Knights weathered the storm to keep a comfortable 61-47 lead moving to the fourth.
WJU cut it to 11 again with four minutes left, 74-63, and then down to eight in the final minute, but UU drained 8 of 10 at the free throw line to prevent the comeback.
UU out-rebounded WJU 47-37 and limited the host Cardinals to 39-percent shooting overall. The Blue Knights finished with a 46-percent clip overall from the field.
// UP NEXT
UU hosts Notre Dame College in Saturday's season finale with a 2 p.m. tipoff at Grimes Center.
