By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – LaGrange (11-4, 5-1 CCS) used several impressive runs, including a 19-0 stretch to end the third period, as they demolished Covenant (4-10, 1-4 CCS) by a 75-50 score in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Tuesday, January 17.
Sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) led the Panthers attack with 16 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists while senior guard Gracie Brunel (Broxton, Ga.) finished with 13 points and two steals. Freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) wasn't far behind with 11 points, six boards, three steals and two blocks and freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) added nine points, five caroms and a game-high five steals to round out the top performers.
LaGrange came out of the gate strong once again, this time staking themselves to a commanding 16-2 lead over the first 6:27. In that time Johnson dropped seven points to fuel the run while Battle capped it with five points, punctuated by a long ball. Karis McIntosh would break up the stretch with a triple of her own, but only temporarily as the Panthers closed out the opening frame with a 25-10 advantage.
Breezy Savage would key a 7-2 burst to open the second for the Scots, cutting it to 27-17 with 3:26 gone by only to see LC answer back in force. That would come in the form of five different scorers expanding the margin to 42-23 by the break.
Five straight to begin the third powered an 8-2 Covenant run and narrowed the gap to 44-31 just over two minutes in but that would not last. LaGrange responded with a debilitating 19-0 run over the next 7:56 that ballooned the lead to 32 points, 63-31, and closed out the period.
A free throw by Megan Rouse finally snapped that stretch and McIntosh knocked down a three just under a minute into the fourth to make it 63-35. A pair of free throws briefly interrupted what would be an 18-4 Scots run that pulled them to within 67-49 with 3:54 to play.
The glass slipper came off at that point, however, as the Panthers made sure there would be no Cinderella comeback as they regained their composure by taking eight of the next nine points and closed out the 75-50 victory.
McIntosh connected on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to pace the Scots with 17 points while Rouse hauled in a game-high 10 boards to go with five points and a pair of blocks. Savage finished with a well-rounded effort of six points, four caroms, two assists and two steals and Amanda Neff rounded things out with seven points.
The Panthers return to action when they travel to Wesleyan on Sunday, January 22. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Macon, Georgia.
