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Down by one with less than two seconds remaining, the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers pulled off a stunning upset. Senior Halle Traylor banked in a buzzer-beating jump shot to secure a 69-68 victory over the No. 2 seed on Wednesday night, propelling the No. 7 seed into the Appalachian Athletic Conference semifinals.
Traylor, who sat out last season due to injury, arrived on the SMC campus in the fall after spending the 2022-23 season with head coach Reid Walling at Keiser University. She finished the game with 19 points to share team-high honors with fellow senior Destiny Middleton. Traylor also had eight rebounds to go along with the six charges she took on the defensive side of the ledger. Krystal Johnson joined the duo in double figures with 12 points, and Shaelyn Hayes shared game-high honors with 11 rebounds for the Pioneers.
“I give all the credit to my teammates,” said an excited Traylor after the game. “They kept me very calm in the moment, and they trusted me to give me the ball. I missed two big free throws earlier on, but I didn’t want to lose this game. We worked really hard to be in this position. The confidence and preparation really carried me through that moment.”
“It was an unbelievable effort by our team,” said Walling after the game. “The storms we’ve been through all season have made this group so resilient. I’m so happy for our players to experience that type of excitement with the game-winner and that we get to continue this journey tomorrow!”
SMC raises its record to 17-13 on the season—the 17 wins are the most for the Pioneers since the 2023-24 season. The win sends Spartanburg Methodist College to the semifinals for the first time in program history. The game will take place on Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m. at the MeadowView Marriott Convention Center & Conference Resort in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Bryan (21-7, 18-2 AAC), currently in search of an at-large bid to the upcoming NAIA national tournament, had taken a one-point lead, 68-67, when Kaylynn Walls made a jumper with two seconds to go. Walls finished the game with a double-double, scoring 15 points and sharing game-high honors with 11 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Molly Brown, who scored a game-high 20 points before fouling out with 3:55 left in the contest.
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