CARROLLTON, Ga. - A stellar defensive effort and a career-high from K'Nari Holliday pushed the UWG women's basketball team past South Carolina State on Friday afternoon as the Wolves won their third straight game, defeating the Bulldogs, 74-57 at The Coliseum.
West Georgia (3-3) made it tough all night for South Carolina State (1-7), holding the Bulldogs to just 34 points through three quarters.
"I'm proud of our players. I thought we locked in for three quarters, and then they got a little loose in the fourth," said head coach Joanna Reitz, "But they focused, played with intensity, they communicated. Our players did a good job of adapting to what South Carolina State was doing, and I also thought we did a better job of limiting them to one shot, and that's been an issue that we've been working on."
The Wolves allowed just seven offensive rebounds in the game, while pulling down 20 of their own, and held a 50-23 advantage overall on the glass.
As for Holliday, she finished with a career-high 25 on 10-of-14 shooting and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
"She's capable of that night in and night out, and once she got going, that opens everything up," Reitz said of Holliday's career night. "She did a great job in the post and our perimeter players did a good job of getting her the ball."
West Georgia also was lethal from the free throw line, making 18-of-21 attempts, a number that Reitz loved on the final box score.
"Really, really proud of our effort from the free throw line," Reitz added. "That's something we've been working on and they're getting better at it, and I'm proud of them."
Both teams struggled in the opening half as neither team shot over 30 percent over the first 20 minutes of the contest.
South Carolina State led for most of the first quarter, scoring the first two baskets of the game and led by as much as four until a Zuriyah Davis three-pointer and a Hannah Hicks putback turned the early deficit into a one-point lead at the quarter break.
In the second, the Wolves outscored the Bulldogs 14-8 and led by as much as 10 before SCSU cut the UWG lead to seven at the break, 27-20.
West Georgia's lead was quickly erased as the Bulldogs opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run to tie things up at 27-27 before the Wolves created separation once again with a 6-0 run of their own. By the end of the period, West Georgia's offense had heated up, going 8-of-12 from the field, and 6-for-7 from the foul line to extend the lead to 49-34 after three quarters.
In the final quarter, UWG led by as much as 25, and hit three of their four three-pointers to cruise to the victory.
Along with Holliday's 25, the Wolves got 17 from senior Zuriyah Davis, 11 from Mykah Anderson, and the first career double-double from freshman Destiny Jones. The Louisville native finished with 10 boards and 10 points.
The Wolves had two players with five assists, led by Anderson with six while Grace O'Gara had five.
West Georgia wrapped up a three-game homestand with three consecutive wins before heading back on the road for the next month.
"We needed that. We don't play at home again till after Christmas, so we had these three games circled as must wins," Reitz said. "Our players worked hard to put us in good positions, but there's still things to get better on, like taking care of the basketball.
UWG is on the road next week for trips to North Carolina, taking on UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina in a Thursday-Sunday swing.
"Two really good teams and a tough test on the road, but again, we thrive on that, we love a challenge, we have tough, resilient players and staff, so we'll be ready," condluded Reitz.
The road trip begins with an 11 a.m. tip-off against UNC Wilmington on Thursday, December 5.
