SPARTANBURG, S.C. – No. 5 Lees-McRae women's basketball delivered the 72-63 victory over No. 4 Shorter this evening in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinals inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Bobcats knocked down a season-best 15 three-pointers and will advance to the semifinals tomorrow evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: No. 5 Lees-McRae –
72, No. 4 Shorter – 63
LOCATION: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, South Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (21-7/15-5); Shorter (17-12/14-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Sydney Gueterman connected on the first of six three-pointers for the Bobcats in the first quarter. Kirsten Watt ended the opening quarter with a triple for the 21-12 lead over Shorter.
- The Bobcats continued their strong shooting in the second with five more triples. Nadiya Hairston began the quarter with a three-pointer for the 12-point lead. Sandra Mason moved the advantage to 14 with a three at the 4:17 mark of the second quarter. Lees-McRae held the 43-31 lead over the Hawks at the halftime break.
- Shorter cut into the Bobcat lead in the third quarter as the Hawks trailed by four with 3:41 left in the third. Hairston stopped Shorter's scoring run with a made basket at 50-44 and Lees-McRae carried the five-point lead into the final frame.
- Lees-McRae built its double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and Watt connected on another three for the 63-50 advantage. Hairston finished off the contest with a layup for the 72-63 win over Shorter.
- Hairston had a team-high 21 points and added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals on the night. Watt followed with 17 points on 5-6 from three-point range. Braelyn Stilwell recorded 11 points on 3-6 shooting and 4-5 from the free-throw line. Gueterman and Mason registered nine points apiece.
- Lees-McRae was on fire from three-point range with 15 made three-pointers and shot 45.1% (23-51) from the field.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae women's basketball continues its tournament run tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. against No. 1 Francis Marion in the semifinals of the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Basketball Championship.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
