Tesla Akers' scoring totals have gone down during their winning streak, but Ferrum's defense has gotten much better at the same time. Ferrum athletics photo

Ferrum women's basketball coach Bryan Harvey always knew his team had potential. And as his team prepares to cross the regular-season finish line this weekend, it will do so with a wave of momentum.

The Panthers have won their last seven games. They aren't ranked in the national poll but they are fifth in the South regional standings.

It's always a good thing when a team hits its stride late in the year rather than peak too early, and it appears Ferrum is on that course.

"Our team has come together nicely during the streak. We have the right pieces in place and even though it has taken awhile to get there, we are in good shape. The players have embraced their roles and understand what we have to to do to be successful."

It has indeed been quite a run for the Panthers, who have used the streak to catapult themselves to at least a share of the USA South Conference championship. They clinched it on Wednesday night, blasting Mary Baldwin 101-59 at home.

The win puts them at 20-4 overall and at 15-2 in the conference. All the Panthers have to do now is beat North Carolina Wesleyan in the regular-season finale on Saturday and the championship will belong only to them.

It was different a few weeks ago after Ferrum fell 77-68 to Shenandoah. No one was thinking about an impressive win streak.

But Harvey went out and found a solution for his team, and it started with improvements on defense.

Guess what? It worked. The Panthers haven’t allowed 70 in a game since. Ferrum is allowing 63.1 points per outing and has racked up 284 steals.

“We had to make some changes to our defense,” Harvey said. “Early in the year we were pressuring a lot and forcing turnovers but we weren’t very good in our half-court defense. Once we shored up our half-court defense, we became a much better basketball team.”

The offense hasn’t been bad either. It has relied on good balance as only three players are averaging in double figures.

Tesla Akers is pumping in 13.1 points per outing while Kristen Keith is clicking for 11.5 points per game. Jacole Harrison is averaging 10 ppg.

Five other players are averaging at least five points for a team that is putting up close to 80 points per contest. The Panthers have put 80 or more points on the board four times during the win streak.

“No one complains about the number of shots they get or the minutes they play,” Harvey said. “We are playing unselfish basketball. We make it hard for times to figure out who to guard and we have a lot of players that can step up and have a big game on any given night.”

Not only has Ferrum been winning, but it has beaten quality opponents during its run of success. Included in the win streak are wins over Christopher Newport (82-58) and Greensboro (72-63).

The Panthers won those games against the USA South title contenders in a span of three days in early February.

“Winning games like that gives us a lot of confidence,” Harvey said. “Those were quality wins and we gained a lot from those experiences. The big thing is that now we don’t go into a game hoping to win. We go into it expecting to win it.”

Ferrum has no intentions of slowing down now. But if the Panthers want to make a run in the postseason, they need to keep one thing in mind as it goes forward.

“You have to remember what you did to be successful,” Harvey said. “We know we have to play hard every time we go into a game and we have to execute on both ends. Those things become even more important as you get ready for the tournament.”

Bears back on top in UAA

Washington U. is back in first place in the University Athletic Association. The Bears took care of business against Carnegie Mellon on Sunday, rolling to an 88-79 win and will now try to survive a three-game road swing to end the regular season. They will take a two-game lead in the standings with them on the road as the Bears sit at 17-4 overall and 7-4 in the UAA.

Against Carnegie Mellon, the Bears were fueled by Dylan Richter, who poured in 21 points, including 16 in the first half. He pushed his career point total to 1,045. Alex Toth, who has played in 105 games ---the 10th most in school history --- had a huge game as well. He pumped in 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and tallied three steals. Chris Klimek clicked for 15 points on a day when Washington shot over 50 percent for the seventh time in the last 10 games.

John Duhring did his best to lead Carnegie Mellon, scoring 23 points, as his team dropped its ninth game in its last 10 outings.

Maryville women on a roll

The Scots have won their last six games en route to staying on top of the Great South Athletic Conference standings. Their latest win was an 83-45 victory over Salem College on the road Sunday afternoon.

Janell Menard was key to the victory. She knocked down four three-pointers and finished with 20 points. The Scots also played solid on defense, limiting Salem to just 25.5 percent shooting from the field.

It’s no surprise that Menard came through with another big game. She is the leading scorer on the team, clicking for 12.8 points per outing, and she is shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Menard has also tallied 44 assists, 12 blocks and 28 steals.

Kiera Payne has been key as well. She is averaging 10 points per outing and is shooting 50.3 percent from the floor. She is also grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game and has been a spark to the defense by tallying 48 steals.

Speaking of defense, Maryville hasn’t lost since an 80-74 setback to LaGrange in late January, and during the win streak, it has not allowed an opponent to score more than 56 points in a game. As a team, Maryville is allowing just 51.9 points per outing and has forced 414 turnovers.

Quick Hits

David Palmer of Pitt-Greensburg has been a double-double threat all season. The junior had back-to-back double-doubles last week while averaging 25 points and 18 rebounds in a pair of wins. Against D’Youville, an 82-76 win, he poured in a career-high 37 and grabbed 21 rebounds. The performance is part of a stretch where he has had a double-double 10 of his last 11 games. ... Concordia (Texas) women’s basketball senior LaShanda Luckey averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as she helped the Tornados knock off McMurry and Hardin-Simmons and set a program record for wins with 18. Concordia also set a program mark for American Southwest Conference wins with 16. Luckey also averaged 4.5 steals and three assists in the two wins. ... Art Crew played a big role in overtime for Virginia Wesleyan in its 73-62 win on Wednesday night. Crew scored the first five points of the extra session and the Marlins, part of an 11-0 run in overtime. Crew finished with 10 points off the bench as Virginia Wesleyan its eighth 20-win season in the last nine years. The Marlins are 20-3 overall and 12-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. ... Anne Wilson went over 1,000 points for her career on a night when Bethany held off Thiel 91-87 in overtime on Saturday. Wilson finished with 23 points in the win and is averaging 11 points per game this season. Bethany has won its last three games.

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Feel free to contact me about a story idea or share your thoughts on Division III college basketball. I enjoy interacting with the fans. You can reach me by email at brian.lester@d3sports.com or follow me on Twitter @Blester1993.