DECATUR, Ga. – Junior guard Gracie Brunel of the LaGrange College women's basketball team recorded career-highs of 32 points and 12 made field goals during a 90-49 USA South victory at Agnes Scott Wednesday evening.
Brunel scored 16 points in the first quarter, powering the Panthers (4-4, 1-1 USA South) to their first conference win of the season. Brunel finished the night 12 of 16 from the field, 3 of 6 on 3-pointers and 5 for 5 from the free-throw line. The 32 points are tied for the seventh most in a single game in program history and the 12 made field goals are tied for the fifth most.
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"It was a gritty performance from all involved since we had some players that were under the weather," said Brunel. "I am proud of all the girls who stepped up and played their role tonight. It was a great team effort that shows how deep we are and how team-oriented we are. We have a lot to work on and areas to improve, but this is a special group of girls."
Freshman guard Kendra Roberts gave LC 21 strong minutes off the bench, finishing with personal-bests of 12 points and a game-leading eight rebounds. She shot 4 of 8 from the field and 1 of 1 on treys, while also tallying an individual-record three steals.
Freshman guard Britney Chavez scored a career-high 10 points in her first collegiate start, shooting 4 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 on 3-point shots. Junior center Jada Strickland tallied eight points and seven boards.
Shay Sweat and Sydney Evans led the way for the Scotties (0-8, 0-3 USA South), scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively.
LaGrange's defense was superb over the final three quarters, holding the Scotties to a total of 29 points, while scoring 64 points of its own. For the game, the Panthers held Agnes Scott to 29.2% shooting from the field and 18.2% from long range.
"Gracie was phenomenal, shooting an efficient 75.0% from the field, 50.0% on 3-pointers and 100.0% from the line," said LaGrange College Women's Basketball Head Coach Jasen Jonus. "I liked our balanced attack with six players scoring between eight and 12 points, which complemented Gracie's career night. Agnes Scott is a much improved team from what we saw last year, and the Scotties tested us early. I like the way we responded and clamped down on the defensive end."
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Brunel scored nine straight points for the Panthers in the first quarter, as she concluded her run with a mid-range jumper, giving the visitors a 13-6 lead with 6:11 on the clock. The Broxton, Georgia, native shot 6 of 7 from the field, 1 of 1 from deep and 3 of 3 from the charity stripe during the opening 10 minutes, as LC took a 26-20 advantage into the second.
Seven different Panthers scored in the second, extending the unit's cushion to 49-30 going into intermission. LaGrange ended the half on an 18-5 run over the final 4:59.
Junior forward Breonna Glover scored six points in the third and put LC in front, 72-32, on back-to-back made free throws with two minutes remaining. Six Panthers scored in the final 10 minutes and Roberts pulled down four defensive boards, as LaGrange secured a 41-point victory.
LC shot 44.0% from the field (33 of 75). The Panthers corralled 32 offensive boards and a total of 65 rebounds, tied for the third most in a single game in program history. The visitors led the point-off-turnovers statistic, 41-14, and the bench-points category, 32-17.
Glover finished with eight points and five boards, while senior guard Jada Brown shot 4 of 5 from the field, tallying eight points and four rebounds. In her first collegiate start, freshman guard Bryanna Sanders finished with eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
LaGrange is 34-7 all-time against Agnes Scott, including winning 23 consecutive games in the rivalry dating back to 2009. LC has won 11 straight games on the road in the series. The Panthers swept the visiting Scotties by scores of 106-25 and 94-20 last season.
The Panthers play an exhibition game against Division I Lipscomb on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at noon Eastern Time in Nashville, Tennessee.
Assistant Sports Information Director Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
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