AMERICUS, Ga. -- Mariya Trimble's 17 points and 14 rebounds led the Georgia Southwestern State University women's basketball team to an important 87-86 win over Young Harris in the Storm Dome Sunday.
Brittany Grant added a season-high 22 points and five rebounds for the Lady Canes (7-12, 4-11 PBC) who moved within a game of the final Peach Belt Tournament spot as the season hits the stretch run.
Ashlyn Ellison scored 19 points to lead the Mountain Lions (8-14, 5-10 PBC).
How It Happened: In what was a high scoring, back and forth game all afternoon, neither team led by more than four points in the first quarter and there were six lead changes. Eight different players scored for the Lady Canes in the opening frame, led by Trimble who grabbed five boards to go along with four points. Georgia Southwestern went on an 8-2 run over the final 2:08 of the quarter to take a 24-20 lead after the first.
GSW outscored Young Harris 19-12 in the second quarter in part to a big 15-4 advantage on the boards, six of them coming on the offensive end leading to four points. Grant went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field in the quarter on the way to scoring seven points and the Lady Canes took a 43-32 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Canes shot a blistering 58.8 percent from the floor in the third quarter, including 3-of-3 from long range on the way to scoring 27 points. Young Harris wouldn't go away, however, as the Mountain Lions shot 47.4 percent to tally 26 points and keep it within range at a 12-point lead heading to the final frame.
GSW opened a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game, just over two minutes into the fourth quarter on a layup from Trimble. YHC wasn't done as they scored the next seven straight to cut the lead down to 10 with 3:26 to go. After two Trimble free throws extended the lead to 11, Briana Bell made three straight 3-pointers thanks to GSW turnovers and cut the lead to just three. Shanya Jones made one free throw at the other end and Sara Jorgensen knocked down another one from long-range to make it a 1-point game, but a GSW turnover with two seconds remaining in the game gave Young Harris a chance to win it. Ge'Naisha Robinson got behind the defense and had an open look, but couldn't convert the layup as time expired.
Georgia Southwestern outrebounded Young Harris 56-41 on the afternoon, 25 of them coming on the offensive end that led to 20 second chance points. The Lady Canes shot 56.3 percent from downtown (9-of-16) and held a 39-24 advantage in bench points.
Who Stood Out: Amanda Melosky added 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds, marking the first time this season GSW had two players record a double-double. Brittany Grant's 22 points included 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Gabby Figgers knocked down 3-of-4 from long-range, improving her 3-point percentage to 41.4 on the season. Kris Beckham scored nine points, dished out four assists, grabbed three boards and recorded two steals.
Up Next: The Lady Canes head on the road for three straight games this week, the first coming Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip at Columbus State.