AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Newcomer Laci Schreiber notched 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to score her first double-double as a Lady Jaguar and help Augusta State to a 66-61 victory over Paine College Wednesday night at Christenberry Fieldhouse.
"Laci played well, and hopefully our inside game will continue to improve," head coach Nathan Teymer said. "We missed a few easy layups, but it's nice seeing a consistent presence inside."
Schreiber's efforts headlined a cast of new players that contributed in their first game as a Lady Jaguar. Transfer Brittany White canned 13 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds on the night, while Amber Peterson notched nine points with six assists. Junior guard Eryka Menzies, one of four returning players, also chimed in nine points.
The teams were tied at 12 before an 8-2 run capped by Menzies' jumper with 7:18 in the first half gave ASU a solid lead, but Paine whittled away at the margin until Ciarra Morris drained a 3 to pull within one.
ASU immediately responded, pulling off a 7-2 run to end the half up 33-27. The Lady Jags shot 48 percent in the first half, 10 percentage points better than the Lions.
It was more of the same after the break, as ASU built a lead only to see Paine narrow the gap; ASU opened up its largest lead of the evening on Becky Newhouse's layup with 17:19 in the game to go up 11, but another dagger from Ariel Brown closed the gap to six not two minutes later. The lead see-sawed between six and 10 points before White's two free throws late in the game iced the win for the Jags.
Paine used good outside shooting to keep things tight, going 9-of-13 from downtown, including 4-of-4 in the second half. But they attempted only four free throws in the contest, compared to 12 for ASU, the Lady Jaguar defense created nine steals for quick buckets in transition.
ASU hosts West Georgia in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m., in Christenberry Fieldhouse.
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