TURNOVERS, REBOUNDS KEY IN #20 USCA' WIN OVER AASU
LADY PACERS MOVE TO 4-1 FOLLOWING 74-68 VICTORY OVER PIRATES
AIKEN, S.C.-- Forcing 24 turnovers and grabbing 15 offensive rebounds allowed #20 USC Aiken (4-1, 2-1 PBC) to overcome a 57.8 percent shooting night by Armstrong Atlantic State (4-2, 1-1 PBC) for a 74-68 victory in women’s Peach Belt Conference basketball action on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center. The Lady Pacers attempted 23 more shots from the field than did the Pirates. With their second-straight win over AASU, the Lady Pacers are off to their best start in four years. (PHOTO BY: Ginny Southworth)
Armstrong Atlantic State opened to an 8-2 advantage following Jasmine Herron’s bucket at the 15:04 mark of the opening stanza. The Pirates connected on four of their first six shots from the field while USCA opened a chilly 1-for-7.
Sophomore newcomer Cameron Crapps came off the bench and provided a spark for USCA, knocking down her first field goal as a Lady Pacer, a three from the top of the key, to ignite a 16-2 run. The Elizabethton, Tenn. native connected on another trey during the spurt as USC Aiken claimed an 18-10 spread on LaToshia Broadwater’s offensive putback of a Nakia Pinkney miss with 10:45 on the clock.
Nine different players scored for USC Aiken in the first half. For the game, all 10 Lady Pacers that saw action scratched in the scoring column as the Lady Pacers’ bench outscored that of AASU 35-10.
Back-to-back buckets by Kelly Versluis drew the Pirates within four at 18-14, but USCA ripped off 13 of the game’s next 15 points capped off a steal and a bucket by Avonte Williams with 6:40 remaining to give USCA its largest lead of the game 31-16. During the spurt, Pinkney and fellow freshman guard Triahna Harris combined to go 3-of-3 from long distance. Pinkney contributed 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Harris was solid in her first collegiate start with nine points, three assists, and two steals.
Portia Jones came off the Armstrong Atlantic State bench to promptly drill a three-pointer and Lacey Willis converted 3-of-4 at the stripe as the Pirates closed within 37-29 at the break.
Both teams found their touch in the second half, opening a combined 9-of-14 from the field. But on a Satu Leppanen triple, the Lady Pacers maintained their halftime spread 48-39 with 14:51 left.
Following a rough shooting first half, Meredith Legg found her touch knocking down 4-of-6 shots including 2-of-3 from deep after the break for a team-high 14 points off the bench. Her first trey came at the 9:05 mark to nudge the margin back into double figures at 59-48.
All-American Kaneetha Gordon brought the Pirates back, scoring seven in a 14-4 run as AASU drew within a single point, 63-62, with 4:40 to play. Gordon finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Each team was unsuccessful on their next possession until Legg drained a three-pointer and then scored on a fastbreak bucket to lead 68-62 with 3:26 remaining.
The back breaker for the Pirates came with 2:18 to play and trailing by four. Harris drilled a three-pointer from the baseline as the shot clock expired to extend the spread to 71-64. USCA was 3-for-4 at the line in the closing seconds to seal the 74-68 win.
After a cold start, USC Aiken warmed up to 48.3 percent in the second half and 44.1 percent for the game. Williams added nine points, five assists, and two blocks while Leppanen finished with seven. Megan Starnes chipped in 10 points.
Alandris Griffin scored 14 and had four blocks for AASU while Willis poured in 10 of her 15 in the final frame.
USC Aiken finished with a 30-17 edge in points off turnovers, and held a 14-0 spread in fastbreak points.
USC Aiken will host Division I foe Winston-Salem State on Monday, December 3 at 7:00 PM at the Convocation Center. Armstrong Atlantic State will also face a D-I opponent in North Carolina Central on Wednesday, December 5 at 7:00 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
Armstrong Atlantic vs USC Aiken
12/01/07 5:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)
USC AIKEN 74, ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC 68
ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC (4-2, 1-1 PBC)
Gordon, Kaneetha 7-10 4-6 19; Willis, Lacey 5-8 5-6 15; Griffin, Alandris 6-11 2-4 14; Versluis, Kelly 3-6 0-0 6; Herron, Jasmine 1-2 2-4 4; Jones, Portia 1-1 0-0 3; Holmes, Lindsey 1-1 0-0 3; Duhart, Ashley 1-2 0-0 2; Thomas, Dartayvia 1-3 0-0 2; Lieneman, Lindsay 0-1 0-0 0; Raatelsami, Laura 0-0 0-0 0; Hodges, Brittany 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-45 13-20 68.
USC AIKEN (4-1, 2-1 PBC)
Legg, Meredith 6-13 0-0 14; Pinkney, Nakia 4-7 2-2 11; Starnes, Megan 5-11 0-0 10; Harris, Triahna 3-5 0-0 9; Williams, Avonte 4-10 1-2 9; Leppanen, Satu 3-7 0-0 7; Crapps, Cameron 2-3 0-0 6; Johnson, Morgan 2-7 0-0 4; Broadwater, LaToshia 1-2 0-0 2; Thomas, Jordon 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 30-68 5-6 74.
Armstrong Atlantic....... 29 39 - 68
USC Aiken..................... 37 37 - 74
3-point goals--Armstrong Atlantic 3-5 (Jones, Portia 1-1; Holmes, Lindsey 1-1; Gordon, Kaneetha 1-1; Duhart, Ashley 0-1; Lieneman, Lindsay 0-1), USC Aiken 9-22 (Harris, Triahna 3-3; Legg, Meredith 2-7; Crapps, Cameron 2-3; Leppanen, Satu 1-1; Pinkney, Nakia 1-2; Broadwater, LaToshia 0-1; Williams, Avonte 0-2; Starnes, Megan 0-3). Fouled out--Armstrong Atlantic-None, USC Aiken-None. Rebounds--Armstrong Atlantic 30 (Gordon, Kaneetha 9), USC Aiken 28 (Thomas, Jordon 4; Williams, Avonte 4; Johnson, Morgan 4). Assists--Armstrong Atlantic 21 (Duhart, Ashley 6), USC Aiken 22 (Williams, Avonte 5; Thomas, Jordon 5). Total fouls--Armstrong Atlantic 12, USC Aiken 18. Technical fouls--Armstrong Atlantic-None, USC Aiken-None. A-652