Sunday, January 02, 2005
LADY PACERS
SHOOT PAST BLUE HOSE 71-59
CLINTON,
SC -- USC Aiken placed three players in double figures and
dished out 21 team assists en route to a 71-59 victory over
host Presbyterian College in women’s college basketball
action Sunday afternoon at the Ross E. Templeton Center.
In the
first half, USC Aiken shot 43.8% from the field while forcing
15 first half turnovers to pull ahead 39-23 at halftime. The
Lady Pacers were led in scoring by senior forward Lana
Mandic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) who tallied 10 first half points
on four-of-six shooting from the field.
The Blue
Hose struggled to shoot 31.6% from the field and suffered
through a 10-minute field goal drought midway through the
half. PC’s junior forward Rebecca
Wessinger (Laurens, SC) led the way with 10 points on
four-of-six shooting from the field. The Blue Hose hit
10-of-12 free throws in the final five minutes to cut the lead
to 39-23.
In the second half PC continued to struggle from the field, not hitting their first field goal until the 9:51 mark of the half on a layup by Wessinger. The Blue Hose stayed in the game by hitting 10-of-12 free throws during that stretch.
The Lady
Pacers pushed the lead to as many as 22 points twice, the
second coming at the 9:12 mark (58-36) on a layup by junior
forward Nola Grant (Aiken, SC). The Blue Hose used a
13-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the lead to 11
points at 60-49 with 6:39 remaining on a pair of free throws
by sophomore guard Brittany
Carroll (Dunn, NC). USCA responded with a 5-0 spurt on
their next two possessions highlighted by a three-pointer from
Mandic to push the lead back to 16 points. The Lady Pacers
closed out the game at the free throw line to secure the win.
Lady Pacers
(10-4) were led by Mandic’s 20 points while senior forward Katie
Gebhardt (Charlotte, NC) and junior forward Eboni
Speller (Clarksville, TN) each added 12 points apiece. The
Blue Hose (2-9) were led by Wessinger’s game-high 27 points
while Carroll chipped in 11 points and junior center Cameron
Cook (Greensboro, NC) added 10 points.