By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LAGRANGE, Ga. – A 16-4 late fourth quarter run would be the difference as LaGrange (17-5, 11-2 CCS) did what only one other team this season had and that is knock off Berea (20-2, 12-1 CCS), delivering a convincing 74-59 victory in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Friday, February 10.
Freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) dropped 22 points off the bench to lead the Panthers and freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 boards in 26 minutes of work.
When Battle wasn't scoring sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) usually was as she finished with 18 points and five caroms and senior guard Gracie Brunel (Broxton, Ga.) had 12 points and four assists. Senior forward Breonna Glover (Macon, Ga.) added four points and five boards and freshman forward Skylar Edwards (Canton, Ga.) had three assists and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Ema Turner (Dalton, Ga.) rounded out the top performers with three points, four caroms and four assists.
In a battle of the top two teams in the league, it would be a back-and-forth affair throughout the first quarter as the clubs battled through six lead changes and three ties over the first 8:13 before deadlocking at 15-15. The next 1:44 would see both teams go cold, a stretch broken in the final three seconds as Battle swooped to the hoop and proceeded to convert on an old fashioned three-point play to send LC to the second with an 18-15 advantage.
Following a pair of free throws by BC's Destiny Combs to cut it to one at the 9:11 mark, the clubs would experience an extended drought once again, this time over a span of 2:48. A layup by Drea Satori snapped that stretch and gave the Mountaineers the lead at 19-18 before McLendon answered right back with a jumper to retake the lead with six minutes on the clock.
The lead would then change hands three times over the next minute and a half before Berea managed a 25-22 advantage by the 3:21 mark. Turner then nailed a game-tying triple 10 seconds later only to see Satori hit one of two at the line to give BC back the lead with 2:57 on the clock.
That would be their last points of the half, however, as LaGrange broke a 1:45 dry spell with a jumper by Glover and Battle once again closed the frame with a dash to the rim, laying it in for what would be a 29-26 lead at the half.
Back-to-back buckets helped push that margin to eight at 35-27 over the first minute-plus before Berea flexed their muscles with an 11-2 run that took them from down eight to up 38-37 by the 6:05 mark. It would be their last lead as the Panthers responded with a 12-2 outburst over the next 3:46 as Battle accounted for nine of those points to make it 49-40 with 2:19 remaining in the period. The clubs would then trade the next two baskets before Berea put together consecutive scores to end the frame and close to within 51-46.
Feeling their lead slipping, LaGrange wasted little time at the start of the fourth rectifying that as baskets by Johnson and McLendon extended back to a nine-point advantage, 55-46, just 1:15 in. You don't get to have one of the best records in the country without the willingness to fight through adversity and the Mountaineers would do just that.
Over the next 4:04 they would methodically chip away at the Panthers lead, getting it all the way down to 55-53 with 4:41 to play. A three by Battle then squelched that run but a pair of free throws by Dailyn Spalding cut it to 58-55 with just over four minutes to go.
Battle would continue to be the ultimate thorn in the side of BC as she once again put an end to their hopes of retaking the lead. This time she went 1-of-2 at the line and drove the lane to push to a 61-55 advantage.
Johnson added a pair of free throws and a layup and a drive to the hoop by senior center Jada Strickland (Fairburn, Ga.) put the game out of reach at 67-55 with 2:08 on the clock. From there the Mountaineers would get no closer than 10 points as LaGrange polished off the signature 74-59 victory.
Aaliyah Hampton exploded for 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and went 10-of-15 at the line to go with five boards and four steals to pace Berea. She was joined by Dailyn Spalding with seven points and six caroms while Combs and Satori each finished with seven points, the latter doing so while playing all 40 minutes.
The Panthers have a quick turnaround with just their third back-to-back of the season when they host Belhaven tomorrow, Saturday, February 11. Tip-off is set 2 p.m. at historic Mariotti Gymnasium.
NOTES
The victory keeps LaGrange alive for the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) regular season crown as they have split the season series and now trail Berea by just one game … the teams each have three more games with BC set to face Piedmont (13-9, 9-4) on the road, Maryville (10-12, 7-6) at home and hit the road to take on Belhaven (14-6, 8-4) … the Panthers will host Belhaven tomorrow before traveling to Covenant (6-16, 3-10) and closing the regular season at home against Agnes Scott (3-19, 3-10) … the win is just the second all-time against the Mountaineers … the only other team to knock off BC this year was current undefeated and No. 2 Transylvania on December 30.
