LAKEWOOD, NJ (Feb. 24, 2024) - Georgian Court Women's Basketball welcomed the No. 3 team in the country to the Wellness Center Saturday afternoon. The Lions got down early and Jefferson never trailed in their 80-63 win.

How it Happened
• Jefferson shot nearly 60% hitting 34-57. The Lions shot 45% making 26-58.
• Both teams did most of their scoring in the paint. Jefferson attempted just four three-pointers, making three. The Lions were 5-14 from the perimeter.
• Foul shooting wasn't a problem for either team. GCU hit 6-8 at the line and the Rams 9-12.
• Jefferson won the rebounding battle 32-26. Georgian Court though outscored them 12-2 in second-chance points.
• The Lions turned the ball over 17 times and the Rams 13. Jefferson scored 23 points from those Lion giveaways.
First Quarter
• Jefferson made their first shot attempt of the game and never trailed.
• They raced out to an 8-2 lead resulting in a Lions timeout.
• Things didn't get much better from there as the Rams pushed the lead to 10, 16-6 just past the midway point in the quarter.
• After GCU got it to 16-10 from a Safiatu Kolliegbo layup, Jefferson finished the first on an 8-2 run to lead 24-12 after 10 minutes.
Second Quarter
• Jefferson continued to pour it on in the second shooting 71% from the floor hitting 10-14 and outscoring the Lions 23-13.
• The frame actually started with Kolliegbo connecting for a three-point play to get the Jefferson lead down to single digits.
• Julia Whesper hit a three-pointer and it was still a nine-point game.
• Midway through the second, Jefferson extended their lead with the help of a 13-0 run where they went 6-6 from the floor.
• Kolliegbo hit a driving layup in the closing seconds, but the Ram lead was up to 22, 47-25, at the break.
Third Quarter
• For the third straight quarter Jefferson scored at least 23 points. 
• After not attempting a three-pointer in the first half, Emma Kuczynski took their first and hit it early in the quarter.
• Another scoring run, this time a 7-1 spurt, put Jefferson up 59-30.
• A layup on the Rams final possession gave them their largest lead of the game, 71-41.
Fourth Quarter
• After scoring 20+ in each of the first three quarter, Georgian Court held the Rams to just nine in the fourth.
• The Rams unloaded their bench early on, but the Lions didn't give up quite so easily.
• GCU scored the first 10 points in the quarter and Jefferson needed to put some of their starters back into the game.
• Georgian Court never got close enough to really threaten the Jefferson lead though, but they did outscore the Rams 22-9 in the fourth.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Safiatu Kolliegbo finished with a team-best 17 points on 7-17 shooting.
• Julia Whesper was 4-5 from three for 12 points and four assists.
• Imani Gillette was two rebounds short of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Leah Snisky chipped in eight points.

For the Rams
• Sam Yencha led all scorers with 18 points shooting 7-12 and also grabbed 13 rebounds.
• Hailey Meinel scored 15 of 7-11 shooting, all in the first half.
• Morgan Robinson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. She was 6-8 from the floor.
• Emma Kuczynski made 5-6 for 15 points.

News and Notes
• Julia Whesper's 4-5 shooting from three was the best from GCU in a game this season. Her four made three-pointers tied a season-high. 
• Jefferson's 59.6% shooting was the most by a Lion opponent this season.

Up Next
• Georgian Court enters their final week with a game Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Wilmington. Tip off is 6 p.m.