Junior center Nadia Montour of the LaGrange College women's basketball team finished with 10 points, three blocks, three steals and three rebounds in a 64-39 victory over Judson on Monday at Mariotti Gym.
"I put in a lot of hard work and never stop trying," said Montour. "We played well, and I tried to do my part. I was pleased with my defense and was very happy to get the win."
The Panthers (2-1) received points from 13 different players and held Judson to single-digit point totals in three out of four quarters. LaGrange has now won two games in a row, while Judson fell to 2-6.
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:
- Junior guard Jahpera McEachin scored the first points of the season at Mariotti, burying a 3-point shot 41 seconds into the first quarter.
- Junior guard Daijah Cousins provided an instant spark off the bench, burying two free throws with 2:59 left in the first. She drilled a mid-range jumper with 1:39 on the clock, giving the Panthers a 12-6 lead.
- With 1:14 remaining in the first quarter, junior forward Adreona Bowen made a tremendous rotation on the baseline and drew a charge on Judson.
- The Panthers built a double-digit advantage at 19-8 on a mid-range jumper by senior captain Sarah Evans with 7:25 remaining in the second period. A 3-pointer by junior forward Charley Amissah-Reyes put a stamp on a 16-2 run and gave LaGrange a 22-8 cushion with 7:01 left.
- A 3-pointer by sophomore guard Jalaya Lewis extended the Panthers' lead to 25-9 with 4:23 on the scoreboard.
- McEachin lobbed an outstanding entry pass over the top of a Judson defender to Montour for an easy layup, giving LaGrange a 27-14 lead with 2:42 left.
- Junior forward Megan English drained a three-ball with 17 seconds remaining, pushing LaGrange's lead up to 16 points. Libby Whitten responded for the Eagles with a 3-point shot with three seconds left in the half, as the Panthers led, 30-17, at intermission.
SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:
- Panthers senior captain Sadie Desroches made a tremendous inbounds pass from under the basket to a wide-open McEachin, who buried a right-baseline trey, extending the Panthers' lead to 35-19 with 8:08 left in the third.
- Judson responded with an 8-0 run, as an old-fashioned, 3-point play by Jordyne Bishop trimmed the Panthers' advantage down to 35-27 with 6:11 on the clock.
- LaGrange put the game in safe hands with a 21-3 surge. English started the spurt with a right-of-the-arc, 3-point shot. Lewis made an outstanding backdoor cut and Bowen delivered the assist on the layup, as LaGrange led, 40-27, with 4:25 remaining in the third.
- Montour tallied back-to-back, 3-point plays the old-fashioned way with her diligent work in the post, as the second one came off an offensive rebound. Freshman forward Breonna Glover scored 32 seconds into the fourth, giving the unit a 52-30 lead.
- LaGrange took its largest lead of the night at 64-36 on two foul shots by Lewis with 2:32 left in the fourth.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Panthers Head Coach Lee Buchanan: "It was a real good win on Monday. We were a little rusty because we had not played in eight days, but overall, I was pleased with our effort. I was very happy to get every player in the game, and we got positive contributions from each of them. Nadia was good around the basket and played well on the defensive end. Daijah and Jalaya gave us a nice lift in both halves, as their energy on both ends led to a couple of offensive runs."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Panthers forced Judson into 25 turnovers with an effective full-court press. The Panthers turned the ball over nine times, but only once in the second half.
- Cousins finished with eight points on a 3-for-5 performance from the floor and a 2-for-2 effort from the foul line. Lewis finished with nine points, three steals and two assists.
- Freshman guard Catherine Skebo went 2-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line. English went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, finishing with seven points, three assists and two boards.
- Freshman forward Makayla Phillips scored her first two collegiate points on a layup in the fourth quarter.
- The Panthers shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range (6-14) in the first half. LaGrange won the rebounding margin, 46-33, including a 25-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
- The Panthers led the points-off-turnovers category, 26-3, and held a 46-11 lead in bench points.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- LaGrange leads the all-time series with Judson, 7-2, as the Panthers improved to 3-0 at Mariotti against the Eagles.
- LaGrange has won three games in a row against the Eagles, including the 2018-19 meeting, 80-49.
- Judson's last win in the series came by a score of 80-67 during the 2006-07 season.
UP NEXT:
- The Panthers will be back in action with a 7 p.m. game against Bob Jones on Friday at Mariotti.
