LEGG LEADS LONG-DISTANCE BARRAGE IN USCA'S 81-70 WIN
LADY PACERS CLOSE GAME ON 17-3 RUN TO KNOCK OFF GCSU
AIKEN, S.C.-- USC Aiken (11-5, 5-5 PBC) clamped down on defense, generating a 17-3 run over the final 4:48 to turn a three-point deficit into an 81-70 victory over Georgia College & State University (10-6, 5-4 PBC) in a key Peach Belt Conference women’s basketball contest on Saturday evening at the Convocation Center. Meredith Legg led five Lady Pacers in double figures with 25 points as USC Aiken notched the program’s 150th win in PBC play. (PHOTO BY: Ginny Southworth)
The Lady Pacers opened a sizzling 4-of-5 from long range to build an 18-9 advantage with 14:15 on the clock on a three-pointer by Legg. Sandwiched between that trey and the next field goal for USCA, another Legg triple 3:47 later, was a 12-0 Lady Bobcat run. Dominique Huffin capped off the spurt with a three from the baseline as GCSU surged in front 21-18 at the 10:55 mark.
Legg knocked down another long ball with 8:32 left in the half, her 11th-straight point scored, as USC Aiken regained the edge 28-27. Legg poured in 17 of her game-high 25 in the opening stanza. She finished 7-of-12 from downtown to go with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. It was her fifth 20-point game in the last 10 outings and the sixth time she has drilled five or more three-pointers.
Satu Leppanen chipped in four-straight during a late 7-0 run to break a 30-30 tie with 1:30 left in the half as the Lady Pacers led 41-36 at the break. The 6-0 junior accounted for eight of the team’s 10 bench points in the contest.
Midway into the second half, Morgan Johnson converted an old-fashioned three-point play to nudge the spread to 58-54 with 13:17 remaining. Johnson finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, her fifth double double of the season.
Following a couple of empty offensive trips by both teams, Elicia Lynch turned a Lady Pacer turnover into a big three, igniting a 7-0 run capped off by a steal and open-court lay-up by Lindsey Smith with 9:22 remaining for the Lady Bobcats’ first lead of the second half at 61-58.
GCSU entered the game as the league’s second-best team in creating turnovers, and finished with a 22-15 margin, translating to 26-17 in points off those miscues.
But USC Aiken countered with a 38-33 advantage on the glass and shooting 49.0 percent from the field including 11-of-24 from the three-point line (45.8 percent). Their defense also held the Lady Bobcats to 2-of-11 from long range in the final frame for 18.2 percent.
Smith had 12 points, five assists, and five steals while Lynch added 13 points off the bench. Ashley Williams just missed a double double with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The two teams traded the lead over the ensuing five minutes before a Megan Starnes triple from the top of the key with 4:01 on the clock gave USC Aiken back the lead for good at 69-67. During the decisive 17-3 run, the Lady Pacers were a perfect 10-of-10 at the line, finishing 16-of-17 for the second half. GCSU misfired on seven consecutive shots and turned the ball over four more times before Huffin’s three-pointer with 22 ticks left made it 79-70. Huffin had 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting.
Starnes concluded with 10 points and a career-high seven assists while Avonte Williams chipped in 12 points and eight boards. Jordon Thomas added 10 points.
USC Aiken will travel to Pembroke, N.C. on Wednesday, January 30 for a match-up with UNC Pembroke at 5:30 PM. Georgia College & State will travel to face Columbus State on the road, also next Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
Newspaper Box Score
GCSU vs USC Aiken
01/26/08 5:30 PM at Aiken, S.C. (Convocation Center)
USC AIKEN 81, GCSU 70
GCSU (10-6, 5-4 PBC)
Huffin, Dominique 8-19 3-4 22; Lynch, Elicia 5-11 0-1 13; Williams, Ashley 6-13 0-0 12; Smith, Lindsey 3-8 6-9 12; Brantley, Tiauna 3-5 0-0 6; Herndon, Katie 1-1 1-2 3; Baker, Jessica 0-4 2-2 2; Dudish, Mandi 0-0 0-1 0; Wimbish, Tonisha 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-63 12-19 70.
USC AIKEN (11-5, 5-5 PBC)
Legg, Meredith 7-12 4-4 25; Johnson, Morgan 4-7 6-8 14; Williams, Avonte 4-7 4-7 12; Thomas, Jordon 2-6 4-4 10; Starnes, Megan 4-10 0-0 10; Leppanen, Satu 3-3 2-2 8; Pinkney, Nakia 0-2 2-2 2; Crapps, Cameron 0-1 0-0 0; Meyer, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0; Broadwater, LaToshia 0-0 0-0 0; Harris, Triahna 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 22-27 81.
GCSU.......................... 36 34 - 70
USC Aiken.................. 41 40 - 81
3-point goals--GCSU 6-24 (Huffin, Dominique 3-12; Lynch, Elicia 3-7; Baker, Jessica 0-4; Williams, Ashley 0-1), USC Aiken 11-24 (Legg, Meredith 7-12; Starnes, Megan 2-4; Thomas, Jordon 2-3; Pinkney, Nakia 0-1; Crapps, Cameron 0-1; Harris, Triahna 0-1; Williams, Avonte 0-2). Fouled out--GCSU-None, USC Aiken-None. Rebounds--GCSU 33 (Williams, Ashley 8), USC Aiken 38 (Johnson, Morgan 10). Assists--GCSU 11 (Smith, Lindsey 5), USC Aiken 17 (Starnes, Megan 7). Total fouls--GCSU 23, USC Aiken 20. Technical fouls--GCSU-None, USC Aiken-None. A-1419
BOXSCORE