Friday, November 24, 2006

LADY SAINTS RUN AWAY FROM CLAFLIN
Lady Saints lead by as many as 28 en route to non-conference victory

Dahlonega, GA – The North Georgia College & State University Lady Saints led by as many as 28 points en route to an 82-55 victory over the visiting Pantherettes of Claflin University here Friday afternoon.

With the game tied at 14-14 early in the first half, the Lady Saints went on a 17-4 run to close out the final minutes of the half and take a 31-18 lead into intermission.  Brooke Baker connected on a lay-up with 8:46 remaining in the half to give the Lady Saints the lead for good, 16-14.  The next trip down the floor, the freshman from Gainesville hit two free throws to extend the lead to four, at 18-14.  Following a couple of missed opportunities on the next Claflin possession, Syretha Marble got free on a fast break and hit a lay-up with 6:31 remaining in the first half to give the Lady Saints a 20-14 lead. 

Megan Huffman got in on the act with 3:36 remaining before intermission, as she hit a three-pointer to give the Lady Saints a commanding 23-14 lead.  Freshman Lauren Fagler scored her first two points of the season with 2:44 remaining and extended the lead to 25-14.  Latoya Savage salvaged two points for Claflin, as she hit a lay-up with 2:15 remaining to trim the lead to 25-16.  Fagler then hit a three-pointer, followed by a three-pointer by Baker, and the lead was at 15 (31-16) with 1:24 remaining in the half.  Jayshaun Bailey ended the half for the Pantherettes with a lay-up with just 30 seconds remaining in the half.

The second half was much the same, as the Lady Saints went on a pair of 8-0 runs to extend their lead to 28 in the victory.

North Georgia shot 42.4 (28-for-66) percent from the floor, including shooting 54.3 (19-for-35) percent in the second half.  They also shot 41.2 (7-for-17) percent from behind the arc for the game, including shooting 50 (4-for-8) percent in the second half.

Meanwhile, Claflin shot 42.6 (23-for-54) percent from the floor, and 23.1 (3-for-13) percent from behind the arc.

The Lady Saints won the rebounding battle, 47-30, and also forced 23 turnovers by Claflin.

Marble led the Lady Saints with 19 points, on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor and the free throw line.  Kourtney Singleton chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds, while Porsha White scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench for the Lady Saints.  Baker finished the night with 10 points.  Lindsey Kitchens tied a career-high with nine assists on the night, while Huffman finished with nine points and seven assists.

Bailey led Claflin with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Ashley Sorrell chipped in 11 points.

The two teams meet again on December 30 in Orangeburg.

North Georgia (3-3) travels to Cleveland, MS to take on 13th-ranked Delta State on Monday night at 6:30 pm.

-NGCSU-

Box Score