Brown’s Double-Double, Late Jumper Lift Voorhees Past Paine, 68-66

DENMARK, S.C. — Shykiera Brown buried the go-ahead jumper with 1:41 remaining, and the Voorhees University Tigers women’s basketball team held on down the stretch for a 68-66 nonconference win over Paine College on Thursday night.

Brown’s mid-range shot broke a 66-66 tie less than 30 seconds after Paine’s K. McCrary had evened the score with two free throws at the 2:07 mark of the fourth quarter. From there, the Tigers closed it out with defense, keeping the Lions off the board over the final 1:41 to secure the narrow home victory.

Brown turned in a dominant performance, finishing with a game-high 24 points and 17 rebounds in 39 minutes. The Florence, South Carolina, native also hit three 3-pointers, including a first-quarter triple that gave Voorhees a 16-15 edge with 28 seconds left and a second-quarter 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half that pushed the Tigers’ lead to 29-24 at the break.

Voorhees led 16-15 after the first quarter and 29-24 at halftime, using efficient shooting and a clear advantage on the glass to offset Paine’s ability to generate extra possessions. The Tigers shot 42.2% from the field (27 of 64) and 27.8% from 3-point range (5 of 18), while controlling the boards with a 63-37 rebounding edge, including 19 offensive rebounds.

The Tigers appeared to seize control in the third quarter, outscoring Paine 24-22 and stretching the margin to seven when Nedisha Ford converted a fast-break layup for a 53-46 lead with nine seconds remaining in the period. But Paine responded in the fourth behind its three primary scorers, chipping away until McCrary’s free throws tied the game at 66-66. Brown answered immediately with what proved to be the decisive basket.

Zaniyah Snow provided an important secondary scoring punch for Voorhees with 10 points, six assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes, helping the Tigers navigate Paine’s pressure despite committing 33 turnovers. Voorhees finished with 15 assists on its 27 made field goals and added six steals and one block on the defensive end.

Paine stayed close behind the trio of McCrary, A. Dormu and A. Tillmon. McCrary recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds, Dormu added 15 points, nine rebounds and six steals, and Tillmon scored 17 points with seven rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. The Lions shot 32.4% from the floor (22 of 68) and 18.8% from 3-point range (3 of 16), but used 17 steals and 19-of-36 free-throw shooting to remain within striking distance.

Voorhees’ rebounding dominance and Brown’s late-game execution ultimately made the difference, giving the Tigers another tight win over a familiar regional opponent and momentum heading into the next stretch of the schedule.