By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
JACKSON, Miss. – A massive 36-12 first half run was the deciding factor as LaGrange (10-4, 4-1 CCS) dispatched Belhaven (9-4, 4-3 CCS) by a score of 79-63 in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Saturday, January 14.
Freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) erupted for 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and was a perfect 3-of-3 beyond the arc and 7-of-7 at the foul line and added eight boards and six assists to pace the Panthers.
She was joined by sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) with 22 points and six caroms while freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) finished with five points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Skylar Edwards (Canton, Ga.) came away with eight points and six boards and senior forward Breonna Glover (Macon, Ga.) rounded out the top performers with seven points.
Neither team would find their feet over the first four minutes as they battled through four ties before BU managed a narrow 9-6 advantage. It would be their last as LaGrange not only found their offense but used it to steamroll the Blazers to the tune of a massive 36-12 run over the next 10:02, staking themselves to a 42-21 lead.
That decisive run would be fueled by 15 points from Battle and 10 from Johnson while the Panthers knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and connected on 8-of-9 free throws. Three free throws by Hayle Poindexter and a traditional three-point play by Xhiir Burgess finally quelled that run to make it 42-27 by the 3:24 mark.
Three-point plays by Johnson and Battle over the next minute then sparked a 10-0 half-ending burst that took the teams to the locker room with the score at 52-27.
Belhaven would put a dent into that margin in the first 2:22 of the third quarter as they scored eight straight to pull to within 17 at 52-35. From there, though, LaGrange would score 15 of the final 24 points to grow their lead to 67-44 as the clubs entered the fourth period.
The teams would once again be fairly even in that final frame, with the Blazers managing a 19-12 margin, but the damage was already done as the Panthers closed out the 79-63 victory.
Burgess led the way for BU with a double-double of 19 points, 10 boards, four blocks and a pair of steals while Poindexter finished with 12 points and five caroms. Ebony Gayden notched 11 points and six rebounds and Shantashia Johns capped the effort with nine points.
Following two weeks on the road, the Panthers return home as they host Covenant on Tuesday, January 17. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at Mariotti Gym.
