FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Nov. 29, 2024) - Georgian Court Women's Basketball got up nice and early for a 12 pm start time against Palm Beach Atlantic. The Sailfish were prepared and pulled away in the second and third quarters of the 80-50 win. 

How it Happened
• Field goal percentages were close with the Sailfish holding a slight 42%-39% advantage.
• Georgian Court was the better team from beyond the three-point line going 5-13 while PBA was just 2-11.
• The foul line played a big role where Palm Beach Atlantic was 24-27. Georgian Court went 7-11.
• The Lions also turned the ball over 25 times, while forcing only 10. That led to 28 Sailfish points from GCU giveaways and PBA outscored the Lions 22-4 in transition. 
• Palm Beach Atlantic held the edge rebounding as well, 37-27. They grabbed 13 offensive boards and turned that in 14 second-chance points.
1st Quarter
• It wasn't a great start for the Lions who turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions which lead to three fastbreak layups from the Sailfish.
• The Lions didn't make their first field goal until Niyell McCargo at the 4:42 mark of the frame, but that was the start of a 7-0 run for the Lions.
• With 3:03 left to play in the quarter, Alexi Hoy tied the game at nine with a three-pointer.
•  Tyra Lovelock also hit a three down the stretch, but the Sailfish outscored GCU 8-3 over the final 2:57 to leave 17-12 heading to the second.
2nd Quarter
• Following a Destiny Wallace layup and Marija Markovic three, Georgian Court still only found themselves down five, 24-19 midway through the quarter.
• The Lions let the Sailfish extend the lead though at the free throw line.
• PBA finished the quarter outscoring the Lions 14-6 over the final 6:17 with 10 of those 14 points coming at the foul line.
• Hoy made a basket in the closing seconds and at the break it was a 38-25 Palm Beach Atlantic lead.
3rd Quarter
• Coming out of the half, PBA raced out scoring the first eight points.
• It took a minute for the Lions to get going, but they eventually got hot.
• With less than four minutes remaining in the period, Georgian Court went 5-6 from the floor the rest of the way. They outscored PBA 12-7 over that stretch.
• Four different Lions scored during the spurt with Markovic netting a pair of jumpers.
4th Quarter
• Defensively the Lions struggled to slow down the Sailfish shooters. 
• While GCU kept up the scoring, so did Palm Beach Atlantic.
• The Sailfish scored 22 in the fourth, their highest-scoring quarter of the game, and cruised to an 80-50 win. 

Lion Stat Leaders
• Marija Markovic led the Lions scoring 15 points on 6-11 shooting. 
• Alexi Hoy was 5-11 for 14 points.
• Niyell McCargo was in double-figures with 10. 

For the Sailfish
• Kash Ayuso had herself a day scoring 36 points on 14-21 shooting with 11 rebounds.
• Gabrielle Wener added 18 and seven boards. 
• Anabel Ellison scored 12 with a lot of working coming at the foul line where she was 8-8. 

News and Notes
• Julia Whesper played in her 30th career game.
• This was the Lions first ever meeting with Palm Beach Atlantic.
• Marija Markovic and Alexi Hoy each scored a season-high point total. 
• Georgian Court reached 50 points in a game for the first time this season. 

Up Next
• Georgian Court plays their final game in Florida tomorrow afternoon. They have another tough task in front of them with their second nationally ranked opponent this week. They'll be at Nova Southeastern for a 2 pm tip-off.