LAKEWOOD, N.J.- The Georgian Court University women's basketball squad reached the .500 mark at home and earned its sixth Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) victory of the campaign as the Lions downed visiting Nyack College, 71-56, Saturday afternoon in the GCU Wellness Center Arena.
The Lions improve to 6-12 overall (6-7 CACC) on the year while the Warriors are still seeking their first triumph of the season (0-17, 0-10 CACC).
The Warriors opened the affair with a 10-3 advantage 4:39 into the game. The Lions quickly responded after Head Coach Valerie Curtis called a timeout seven seconds later and took off on a 30-12 run, entering the intermission with a 33-22 lead.
Elizabeth Lawler topped the Lions with 10 points in the first stanza.
GCU increased its lead to a game-high 17 points when a
Ebony Sellers free throw gave the Lions a 50-33 advantage with 13:26 remaining in the second half. The Warriors would cut the lead to single digits after a
Rachel Burnett (Fr.-Largo, Fl.) jumper cut the deficit to nine points (51-42) with 10:42 to go.
The outcome was never truly in doubt for the home team as the Lions outlasted the Warriors, 20-14, in the remainder of regulation.
Three Lions tallied double-digits in the scoring column, including 17 for
Shauneia McPhearson, 16 from
Tahira Matthews, and 12 off the bench from Lawler.
Christina White snared a team-high 10 boards while Matthews controlled nine of her own.
Ebony Sellers dished five assists on the afternoon.
Nyack's
Khamary Tellis (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.) carried the Warriors with 30 points (13-for-25 from the floor) and 11 rebounds,earning the game's only double-double. Burnett provided 10 points and eight rebounds for Nyack.
The Lions outshot the Warriors from the floor, 38.2%-27.3% and owned the boards with a 51-43 advantage. Georgian Court only turned the ball over 12 times compared to 22 mishaps by Nyack.
GCU takes to the road this Tuesday night for a much-anticipated rematch vs. Philadelphia University. The Lions upset the Lady Rams, 66-59, back on December 13 in the Wellness Center. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
