SWCC Flying Eagles Extend Win Streak with Back-to-Back Road Victories

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball
2/10/24 | Shaun Schetka

 Saturday, February 8 – SWCC at Richard Bland

Cedar Bluff, VA – The Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) Flying Eagles (12-7, 10-4) extended their winning streak to six games with a commanding 72-50 road victory over Richard Bland College (RBC) (5-13, 5-10).

Sophomore standout Paige Niethammer delivered a dominant performance, scoring 34 points and securing 14 rebounds to notch her 17th double-double of the season. Niethammer, a Newport, Tennessee native, has recorded double figures in both points and rebounds in all but one game this season, missing the mark only against Roane State.

The Flying Eagles controlled the game inside, outscoring the Statesmen 44-16 in the paint and dominating the glass with a 43-25 rebounding advantage. Despite struggling from beyond the arc—connecting on just 2-of-13 three-point attempts—SWCC’s strong interior play proved decisive.

Freshman point guard Tamila Francis also recorded a double-double, tallying 15 points and an impressive 13 assists. Freshman Grace Harvey provided a spark off the bench, contributing 10 points, while freshman Kierstin Johnson was a force in the paint with six points and nine rebounds before fouling out.

Sunday, February 9 – SWCC at Wake Tech

The Flying Eagles had little time to celebrate their Saturday win, quickly shifting focus to Wake Tech Community College. SWCC capitalized on a dominant first half to pull away, securing a 68-45 victory and extending their winning streak to seven games. With the win, SWCC improved to 13-7 overall and 11-4 in Region 10 Division II standings, now holding fourth place.

Niethammer continued her stellar play, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds, marking yet another double-double. Her 14 points propelled her into the prestigious 1,000-point club, making her the first women’s basketball player in program history to achieve this milestone.

Freshmen Kierstin Johnson and Tamila Francis led the Flying Eagles in scoring with 15 points apiece. Francis filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while Johnson added eight rebounds to her 15-point effort. Freshman Emma Owens also contributed significantly, scoring 13 points and dishing out four assists.

SWCC will have a brief rest on Monday before hitting the road again for two more challenging matchups. The Flying Eagles travel to Guilford Tech on Tuesday night for a 5:00 PM tip-off, followed by another road contest at Cape Fear Community College on Wednesday, also scheduled for 5:00 PM.