By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – A bend-but-don't break defense paired with just enough offensive bursts and an epic rebounding effort fueled a 69-56 LaGrange (18-6, 12-3 CCS) victory over Covenant (7-17, 4-11 CCS) in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Wednesday, February 15.
Freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) delivered the best performance of her young career, hauling in 18 boards – seven offensive – to go with 11 points to pace the Panthers while sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added six caroms for good measure.
Senior guard Gracie Brunel (Broxton, Ga.) added 10 points, three rebounds and three steals and freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) had nine points, three caroms and a pair of assists. Senior forward Breonna Glover (Macon, Ga.) chipped in with eight points and sophomore guard Ema Turner (Dalton, Ga.) finished with three assists, three steals, three rebounds and a bucket.
Following a pair of ties and a lead change over the first three minutes LaGrange would go 6-of-8 from the floor over the next 4:18 as eight points from Johnson fueled a 13-6 run. That outburst left them with a 17-10 lead by the 2:43 mark before the Scots narrowed the margin to 20-15 by the end of the opening frame.
The teams would then exchange the first four baskets of the second with the last being a triple by Cosette Kirsch and followed by a Breezy Savage free throw to cut the deficit to 24-21 by the 5:50 mark. Over the next 2:18 four different scorers for the Panthers would lead a 7-0 run that extended the lead to double-digits at 31-21. From there Covenant would bounce back with nine of the next 15 points, the last on a three by Elissa Moore, to close the period down just 37-30.
A jumper by Megan Rouse just over a minute into the third cut it to five but the Scots could only watch as it ballooned back to double-figures as Brunel netted five points in a 9-2 run that made it 46-34 with 6:11 on the clock. That lead would eventually grow to 17 points, 57-40, before a bucket by Abby Witt put Covenant within 15 at the end of the third.
That basket would spark a 15-6 run that stretched to the 3:24 mark of the fourth and pulled the Scots to within 63-55. That would be where they would run out of steam, however, a development helped along by three Panther layups that powered a 6-1 run and closed out the 69-56 victory.
Rouse anchored Covenant's performance with a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards to go with a pair of blocks and Ruthie Moore finished with a solid all-around game with five points, five caroms, four assists and three steals. Karis McIntosh added 11 points and three assists and Witt came away with eight points to round out the top performers.
The Panthers close out the regular season on Saturday, February 18 as they host Agnes Scott on Senior Day. Tip-off is set 2 p.m. at historic Mariotti Gymnasium.
NOTES
LaGrange is now tied for the third most wins in a single season in the NCAA Division III Era, equaling the 2009-10 (18-8) and 2015-16 (18-9) squads … they are one away from tying the 2011-12 team for second most wins and two from equaling the program mark of 20 set by the 2010-11 squad that went 20-5.
