GREENWOOD, S.C. - USC Aiken committed nearly twice as many turnovers and shot just 35 percent from the field but outscored Augusta State 13-3 over the game’s final four minutes to triumph over the Lady Jaguars, 59-49, in the quarterfinals of the Peach Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Thursday evening at Lander’s Horne Arena.
Avonte Williams scored a game high 15 points and pulled down 15 rebounds for the Lady Pacers (20-8) who also got 11 points apiece from Meredith Legg and Kendra Chandler. Brittany Jarrard scored a team-best 12 points for Augusta State (18-10) who got just 21 points from its starting five.
USC Aiken will now move on to face the winner of Thursday’s final game between Columbus State and host Lander in Saturday’s semifinal round. Tip off for that contest has been slated for 4 p.m. The Lady Jaguars will now play the waiting game to learn of their postseason fate.
Augusta State used a Deo Ngulela three-pointer to take a nine-point lead just nine seconds into the second period, but USC Aiken answered with a 12-4 run over the next six minutes to cut its deficit to just one, 35-34, following two free throws by Legg with 13:25 left to play. The Lady Pacers took their first lead of the second half on Mindy Allee’s lay-in at the 10:13 mark, but ASU tied the game for just the second time on a Tracey Paschal jumper nearly three minutes later.
USC Aiken led by as many as seven points midway through the first half, but Ngulela’s trey with 9:34 left in the opening stanza sparked the Lady Jaguars on a 14-0 run that gave ASU a 23-16 advantage. Aiken pulled to within one on a pair of free throws by Nichole Bennett at the 2:59 mark, but Aiken scored the period’s final five points to take a 28-22 lead into intermission.
Quotes:
ASU Head Coach Greg Wilson --
“I never thought we would be outscored by sixteen in the second half with as good a defense as we were playing. Overall, we didn’t get very good shots and the few good ones we did get, we didn’t make. Also, when we got sent to the line, we didn’t convert.”
Regarding the difference in rebounding: “I felt that we were a tired basketball team. We usually are pretty quick to loose balls, but not tonight.”
ASU’s Brittany Jarrard --
“At the beginning, we were really intense and hitting our shots. Once we started missing, however, we got down on ourselves.”
USC Aiken Head Coach Mike Brandt --
“At this time of the year, teams are playing to survive. We played hard with an OK defense. The key for us was rebounding. We felt that if we could outrebound them, we would have the chance to win.”
On the play of Kendra Chandler: “She was a huge spark for us offensively and on the defensive end, came up with a key block. Mindy (Allee) also gave us what you can count on from an All-Conference performer late in the game.”
USC Aiken’s Avonte Williams --
“The returnees had a chip on our shoulders after losing last year to Augusta State in the first round.”
USC Aiken’s Jordon Thomas --
“We wanted it more. It was do or die and we won the battle. Last year was hard, but I’m glad we were playing them again this year, payback was sweet.”
Official Basketball Box Score
Augusta State vs USC Aiken
03/01/07 5:00 at Horne Arena, Greenwood, SC
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VISITORS: Augusta State 18-10
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
04 Batovska, Alla...... * 1-5 0-2 1-2 0 0 0 4 3 2 0 0 0 21
15 Ford, Shirrell...... * 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 5 4 0 2 1 1 19
24 Paschal, Tracey..... * 4-12 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 5 8 2 2 0 3 27
30 Ngulela, Deo........ * 2-3 2-2 0-0 2 2 4 3 6 6 1 0 1 29
54 Parker, Sherika..... * 0-4 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
11 Keller, Angela...... 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1
20 Wyatt, Jamica....... 0-3 0-0 3-4 1 1 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 14
21 Jarrard, Brittany... 4-10 1-5 3-5 0 1 1 1 12 0 2 0 0 25
22 Godwin, Jasmine..... 3-8 0-0 1-3 1 0 1 2 7 0 2 0 2 17
23 Roberts, Taliah..... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
25 Mealing, Nicole..... 1-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 5
33 Paschal, Tiffany.... 1-3 0-0 0-4 2 3 5 2 2 1 0 1 2 22
TEAM................ 4 4 8
Totals.............. 18-54 3-10 10-20 13 17 30 22 49 11 12 2 9 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-27 37.0% 2nd Half: 8-27 29.6% Game: 33.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-7 28.6% 2nd Half: 1-3 33.3% Game: 30.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 6-10 60.0% 2nd Half: 4-10 40.0% Game: 50.0% 5,1
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HOME TEAM: USC Aiken 20-8
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
03 Williams, Avonte.... * 4-10 2-5 5-7 6 9 15 4 15 0 3 1 1 29
12 Starnes, Megan...... * 2-5 0-0 1-2 1 4 5 0 5 3 4 0 1 26
22 Allee, Mindy........ * 3-6 1-2 1-3 3 2 5 3 8 2 2 0 0 30
24 Legg, Meredith...... * 2-11 2-6 5-6 0 3 3 0 11 0 2 0 0 28
33 Grant, Nola......... * 0-3 0-0 0-0 2 2 4 3 0 0 3 1 0 10
05 Bennett, Nichole.... 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 4
15 Chandler, Kendra.... 2-4 0-1 7-7 2 1 3 3 11 3 4 1 1 18
21 Broadwater, LaToshia 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3
31 Leppanen, Satu...... 1-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 19
44 Thomas, Jordon...... 1-4 0-1 1-2 4 7 11 2 3 1 3 0 1 33
TEAM................ 1
Totals.............. 16-46 5-16 22-29 18 28 46 20 59 9 23 3 4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-23 30.4% 2nd Half: 9-23 39.1% Game: 34.8% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-6 16.7% 2nd Half: 4-10 40.0% Game: 31.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 7-9 77.8% 2nd Half: 15-20 75.0% Game: 75.9% 1
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Officials: H. Hall. L. Thompson, K. Thebo
Technical fouls: Augusta State-TEAM. USC Aiken-None.
Attendance: 289
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Augusta State................. 28 21 - 49
USC Aiken..................... 22 37 - 59