Senior captain Mykelli Taylor and freshman guard Catherine Skebo of the LaGrange College women's basketball team finished with four made 3-pointers, respectively, during a 75-33 win over USA South-foe Wesleyan on senior day Saturday afternoon in Mariotti Gym.
This game carried extra meaning, as it served as the Panthers' and Wolves' pancreatic-cancer awareness game, as the two programs showed their support for Greensboro women's basketball head coach Randy Tuggle, who is battling pancreatic cancer.
The Panthers (15-8, 8-6 USA South) received 12 points apiece by Taylor, Skebo and junior guard Jahpera McEachin during the win over Wesleyan (1-21, 1-12 USA South). The 12 points and four made treys were both career highs for Skebo, while senior captains Sadie Desroches (6 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) and Sarah Evans (9 rebounds) played well. LaGrange won the second half, 45-14, holding the Wolves to single digits in scoring during three quarters.
The Panthers honored Desroches, Evans and Taylor at the end of the game for their outstanding commitment to the women's basketball program. Evans was a four-year letter winner for LaGrange and was playing in her 100th-career game on Saturday. Desroches has been a phenomenal floor general over the last two years for the Panthers, while Taylor has knocked down big shot after big shot.
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Panthers raced out to an 8-0 lead 5:35 into the first, as Taylor drained a pair of 3-point shots and McEachin finished off a layup.
- The Wolves ended the first quarter on an 8-2 run, pulling to within two at 10-8 on a layup by Davina Brown with 40 seconds remaining.
- The Panthers ended the first half on a 9-0 run, taking a double-digit lead at 30-19 into halftime. McEachin recorded six points during the surge, showing her versatility with two free throws, a mid-range jumper and a layup in the final seconds.
SECOND-HALF HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Panthers came out with a great deal of energy in the third quarter, extending their advantage up to 44-22 with 4:47 left on a right-wing 3 by Skebo off a pass from the top of the circle by junior guard Daijah Cousins out of a half-court set.
- A left-baseline 3 by McEachin off a strong interior pass by junior center Nadia Montour gave the Panthers a 49-24 cushion with 3:05 on the clock. Montour put the Panthers in front, 52-24, with 48 seconds left on a second-chance layup.
- Freshman forward Morgan Grant made an outstanding pass from the foul-line area to sophomore forward Nia Johnson on the baseline for a layup 1:22 into the fourth, pushing the lead up to 57-27.
- Freshman center Jada Strickland gave LaGrange some strong minutes late, banking in a right-side jumper from just beyond the paint with 2:39 remaining. She then buried a pair of foul shots with 32 seconds left, extending LaGrange's lead to 40 at 72-32.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Panthers Head Coach Lee Buchanan: "It was a special day for us. It was our senior day and we wanted to celebrate by playing extremely hard. We did an outstanding job rebounding the ball on both ends. Offensively, we scored more points each quarter as the game went along, and we shot the ball well in the second half. Sadie, Mykelli and Sarah all had strong games and their teammates played hard for them. Mykelli and Catherine shot the ball well and that opened up the inside."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The 42-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Panthers this season. LaGrange held Wesleyan to 21.2-percent shooting from the floor (11-for-52) and 18.2 percent from the 3-point line (4-for-22).
- LaGrange also posted season highs of 65 total rebounds and 41 defensive boards. The Panthers held a 65-27 advantage on the glass and a 40-18 lead in bench points.
- Skebo shot 4-for-7 from downtown and Taylor went 4-for-8. McEachin finished 4-for-8 from the field, to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Freshman guard Hayleigh Reeves connected on her second-collegiate 3-pointer.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- LaGrange is 35-2 all-time against Wesleyan, as the Panthers have won 29-consecutive games in the rivalry, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
- During the first meeting between the two programs this season, LaGrange emerged victorious by a score of 81-69 on Jan. 28 in Macon, Georgia.
UP NEXT:
- The Panthers will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, on Wednesday for a pivotal 7 p.m. USA South game against Huntingdon.
