AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern women's basketball team scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to secure their first Storm Dome and Peach Belt Conference victory of the season with a 68-60 win over UNC Pembroke Wednesday afternoon.
How It Happened: In the first five minutes of the game, Mariya Trimble scored five points and Morgan Towells added one from deep to push the Lady Canes up 9-4 before the Braves took a quick timeout to settle themselves. With 2:36 left in the first quarter, UNCP tied the game at 12 points but GSW managed to score twice afterwards to go into the second quarter up, 16-12. A three-pointer by UNCP's Naomi Gilbert in the second quarter put the Braves down by one possession (22-21) but the Lady Canes quickly went on an 8-2 run to get some breathing room, going into halftime up 33-27.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Towells and Tamecia Blue came early in the third quarter but the Braves were dominating inside. Sa'Dasia Love scored six points in the paint followed by a three-pointer by Melanie Horne to give UNCP a 40-39 lead with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams continued exchanging leads throughout each possession but the Braves, who scored 19 points in the third quarter, came out on top - going in the final 10 minutes up 46-45.
Trimble's sole three-pointer opened the fourth quarter with a 48-46 lead followed by two more from behind the arc by Jamesha Samuel and Towells but the Braves were steadily answering back, tieing the game at 54 with 5:22 left. Samuel's second three pointer came with 3:33 left in the game and that momentum was the final push the Lady Canes needed to secure the win as they never trailed afterwards. A pair of UNCP free throws brought the game to one possession but another three-pointer by Madison Johnson added extra comfort for a nice win going into the holidays.
Who Stood Out: Trimble and Towells both finished with 15 points this afternoon as Trimble grabbed a team high seven rebounds and three steals while Towells had three rebounds and three steals herself. Lex Chatman led the bench with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals.
GSW (4-5, 1-2 PBC) shot 72.7 percent from the free throw line, draining 16-of-22 and went 8-of-27 from behind the arc. UNCP was 10-of-12 from the line (83.3 percent) and also out shot the Lady Canes, finishing 23-of-65 going 35.4 percent from the field. The Braves held a 54-31 rebound advantage and a 34-16 points in the paint advantage over the Lady Canes but they gave up 22 points off turnovers.
Alecia Hardy led the Braves (2-6, 1-2 PBC) with 15 points followed by Love, who ended with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Up Next: The Lady Canes return from the holiday break with a trip to Greenwood, S.C. to play Lander University Saturday, Jan. 5 for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff.