USCA FINDS SAME OLD HOUSE OF HORRORS IN DAHLONEGA
NORTH GEORGIA UPSETS 20th-RANKED LADY PACERS 93-83
DAHLONEGA, Ga.-- North Georgia (9-1, 2-1 PBC) capitalized on nearly all of their 49 free throw opportunities to pull the 93-83 upset win over 20th-ranked USC Aiken (8-2, 2-2 PBC) in women’s Peach Belt Conference basketball on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. The loss snaps the Lady Pacers’ six-game win streak as USCA falls to 0-3 all-time in Dahlonega, all three double-digit losses. (PHOTO BY: Scott Webster)
USC Aiken shot 56.4 percent from the field, nearly 10 points higher than the Saints, and out rebounded North Georgia 27-24, but the visiting Lady Pacers were unable to overcome a two-to-one difference in free throws, shooting 16-of-25 at the line compared to 40-of-49 for North Georgia. The 40 made free throws is just two shy of a 16-year-old Peach Belt Conference record while the 49 attempts is seven off the mark.
Falling behind early 5-2, junior center Morgan Johnson scored eight of the team’s first 10 points as the Lady Pacers posted their largest lead on the night, 10-5, with 15:12 remaining on a Jordon Thomas lay-up. Johnson led USCA with 20 points, tying Jen Kennedy’s 2003 school record for single game field goal accuracy converting 9-of-10 shots. Thomas added nine points and seven rebounds, but was one of six Lady Pacers hampered by foul trouble with at least four.
The contest seesawed a bit until back-to-back treys by Megan Huffman, part of 13-straight points scored by the senior guard, ignited a 16-4 run as Kourtney Singleton’s jumper with 5:48 on the clock pushed the spread into double figures at 29-19. Huffman finished with 24 points on 10-of-12 at the line. Singleton tallied 34 behind a 16-of-18 day at the charity stripe.
USC Aiken battled back to eventually tie the game just before the half on two free throws by Megan Starnes with 1:12 remaining. On the ensuing possession, however, Singleton hit on two tosses for a 37-35 halftime edge.
Starnes added 17 points, four assists, and three steals before fouling out for the Lady Pacers.
Opening the second half with six consecutive points, USC Aiken charged back in front 41-37, but North Georgia countered with five-straight from Singleton and a Huffman three to turn the four-point hole into a 45-41 lead with 16:36 to play.
USC Aiken pulled within 63-62 with 8:28 remaining, but again North Georgia increased the lead back to 10. Johnson scored on a pass into the paint from Meredith Legg with 2:33 remaining to again pull within a bucket at 77-75, but 10 more free throws in the closing 1:38 proved to be all the Saints would need. The Lady Pacers were whistled for 20 second half fouls.
The 93 points surrendered by one of the league’s perennial top-notch defenses is the most of the Mike Brandt era and the most since a 107-98 contest against Limestone on November 17, 2000.
Legg notched her fourth-straight double figure game with 15 points on 2-of-3 from long range while Avonte Williams added 11 points and five rebounds.
USC Aiken will conclude its season-long four-game road swing on Wednesday, January 9 when the Lady Pacers travel to Florence, S.C. to face Francis Marion at 5:30 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
#20 USC Aiken vs North Georgia
01/05/08 2:00 PM at Dahlonega, Ga. (Memorial Gymnasium)
NORTH GEORGIA 93, #20 USC AIKEN 83
#20 USC AIKEN (8-2, 2-2 PBC)
Johnson, Morgan 9-10 2-3 20; Starnes, Megan 6-11 5-6 17; Legg, Meredith 5-8 3-3 15; Williams, Avonte 3-6 4-7 11; Thomas, Jordon 3-7 2-5 9; Leppanen, Satu 3-8 0-0 6; Harris, Triahna 1-2 0-0 3; Disney, Megan 1-2 0-1 2; Crapps, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0; Broadwater, LaToshia 0-1 0-0 0; Pinkney, Nakia 0-0 0-0 0; Norman, Marissa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-55 16-25 83.
NORTH GEORGIA (9-1, 2-1 PBC)
Singleton, Kourtney 9-14 16-18 34; Huffman, Megan 5-14 10-12 24; Marble, Syretha 4-12 6-10 14; Baker, Brooke 3-3 0-0 8; Kitchens, Lindsey 0-1 6-6 6; Jolley, Rachael 1-1 0-1 3; Young, Krystyn 1-3 0-0 2; Montgomery, Meredith 0-0 2-2 2; Swanier, Kiara 0-0 0-0 0; Peevy, Victoria 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-48 40-49 93.
USC Aiken..................... 35 48 - 83
North Georgia............... 37 56 - 93
3-point goals--USC Aiken 5-12 (Legg, Meredith 2-3; Thomas, Jordon 1-2; Harris, Triahna 1-2; Williams, Avonte 1-3; Broadwater, LaToshia 0-1; Leppanen, Satu 0-1), North Georgia 7-15 (Huffman, Megan 4-9; Baker, Brooke 2-2; Jolley, Rachael 1-1; Young, Krystyn 0-1; Kitchens, Lindsey 0-1; Singleton, Kourtney 0-1). Fouled out--USC Aiken-Starnes, Megan, North Georgia-Marble, Syretha; Huffman, Megan. Rebounds--USC Aiken 27 (Thomas, Jordon 7), North Georgia 24 (Singleton, Kourtney 11). Assists--USC Aiken 14 (Legg, Meredith 4; Starnes, Megan 4; Thomas, Jordon 4), North Georgia 16 (Huffman, Megan 4; Young, Krystyn 4). Total fouls--USC Aiken 34, North Georgia 22. Technical fouls--USC Aiken-None, North Georgia-None. A-437
BOXSCORE