WILMINGTON, Del. (Feb. 14, 2024) - Georgian Court Women's Basketball's attempt to play heartbreakers on Valentine's Day came up short Wednesday afternoon. The Lions erased an 11-point deficit, but were unable to hold on to a small fourth-quarter lead in an 80-72 loss to Goldey-Beacom. 

How it Happened
• Georgian Court attempted 27 more field goals than Goldey-Beacom. They finished 28-71 while the Lightning shot 57% at 25-44.
• From three the Lightning hit 6-17 while GCU was just 1-9.
• Goldey-Beacom shot 80% at the foul line hitting 24-30. Georgian Court made 15 on 24 attempts.
• The Lions had a big advantage on the glass, grabbing 42 to the Lightning's 32. Of those 42, 24 were offensive and the Lions put back 18 second-chance points.
• Both teams turned the ball over 20 times. GCU scored 19 off 21 Lightning giveaways and GBC scored 19 points off GCU turnovers. 
First Quarter
• It was a close game early on with neither team able to separate.
• Georgian Court held a four-point lead, 15-11 with 4:15 to play after a Safiatu Kolliegbo layup.
• Karissa Smedley gave the Lions their largest lead, 17-11 hitting a layup with 3:26 to play in the period.
• Still up six, 19-13, Goldey-Beacom scored nine straight, going up 22-19.
• The Lions came back to tie with a minute left, but GBC scored four more in the final 53 seconds to hold a 26-22 lead after 10 minutes.
Second Quarter
• The Lightning kept that momentum up to start the second, going on a 7-2 run at the outset.
• A layup with 5:24 to play in the half gave the Lightning a 10-point lead, 37-27.
• Georgian Court was again able to claw back and Kolliegbo made it a four-point game again, 43-39 with 90 seconds left.
• The Lightning though closed the half scoring four straight and led by eight, 47-39 at intermission.
Third Quarter
• Still trailing by nine, Georgian Court finished the third with a flurry.
• They closed the frame on a 10-2 run to get to within one, 59-58.
• A Samantha Jones steal led to a quick Kolliegbo bucket to cut the lead to five.
• In the final seconds, GBC committed their ninth foul of the frame and with less than one second left, Karissa Smedley went 1-2 to get the Lions within one.
Fourth Quarter
• After the Lightning pushed the lead back to three, GCU took their first lead at the 8:12 mark, 62-61 when Imani Gillette made a pair of layups.
• The teams traded the lead back and forth a couple of times, until a 5-0 GBC lead put them up 68-64.
• Georgian Court got to within one a number of times, but could never reclaim the lead.
• After Kolliegbo hit two at the FT line to get to within 73-72, Karlee Lemon sank a three putting GBC up four.
• The Lightning went on to close the game on a 7-0 run, winning 80-72.

Lions Stat Leaders
• Safiatu Kolliegbo led all scorers with 31 points. She was 12-24 from the floor and 6-6 at the foul line.
• Imani Gillette finished with a double-double scoring 18 with 13 rebounds.
• Samantha Jones was in double-figures scoring 10.

For the Lightning
• Janiya Stevens nearly matched Kolliegbo scoring 28. She didn't miss from the floor going 9-9. She also grabbed five boards and blocked three shots.
• Rory Ciskowski hit 3-7 from deep and totaled 15 points with nine rebounds.
• Karlee Lemon chipped in nine points.

News and Notes
• Gillette scored her 300th career point.
• Kolliegbo is the first Lion to score 30 since Anyssa Fields in 2021 against Felician. 
• Georgian Court's 24 offensive rebounds are the most in a game this season. 
• The Lions and Lightning have split the season series and at this time are tied for the final spot in the CACC Tournament.

Up Next
• Georgian Court returns home Saturday, Feb. 17 hosting Felician for Girls and Women in Sports Day. Prior to the game, GCU is hosting a clinic in the arena, free to children beginning at 9 a.m.