JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 35-point fourth quarter was the difference on Saturday as the UWG women's basketball Wolves earned their first Atlantic Sun Conference road win in program history, defeating North Florida by a 79-71 final.
In a game that was tied at the half, UWG (8-11, 2-6 ASUN) trailed North Florida (4-17, 0-8 ASUN) by eight with a minute and a half to go in the third quarter before storming back to earn a hard-fought victory and snapping a four-game losing streak in the process.
"We called a timeout there late in the third, and Grace O'Gara got in the huddle, took it over, and talked about making a run, and we responded," said head coach Joanna Reitz following the game. "We caught up quick, took the lead, and we never looked back."
Out of that timeout, the Wolves ended the third and started the fourth on an 11-2, taking the lead at 52-51 with 7:21 left in the game. The Wolves never relinquished the lead, and led by as much as nine before closing out the game at the foul line.
West Georgia had four players in double-figures including three with 15-plus points in the victory. Zuriyah Davis led with 19 points while Mykah Anderson and Destiny Jones had 15. Sydne Tolbert knocked in 11 points while dishing out a game-high six assists.
"I'm just really proud of the team. We've been in some of these close games and struggled to close them out," Reitz added. "So I'm just proud how we took another step in finishing the game the right way, and I love that we had four players in double-figures."
The Wolves never trailed in the opening quarter, leading by as much as 11 after a Becca Ledford three-pointer at the 3:10 mark of the period. UWG led 15-8 after the first quarter, but were outscored 23-16 in the second, sending the teams to the locker room tied at 31-31.
In the third, it started out back-and-forth until the Ospreys pulled away, reaching their largest lead at eight right before Reitz called the timeout that sparked the run.
West Georgia's lead got up to as much as nine in the final quarter. The Wolves shot 56 percent from the field in the final quarter, including a 3-for-5 mark from distance. The Wolves were especially impressive at the free throw line, going 14-of-18 in the final quarter. Anderson, who finished the game 8-for-10 from the foul line, converted seven of her free throws in the final minute of the contest to seal the victory.
The victory came at a good time for the Wolves, snapping a four-game skid and giving the Wolves their first win over North Florida in three games all-time.
"Our team has been tough and resilient all year long," Reitz said. "Thursday night's loss was a battle. It was emotional, it was physical, and I think there was 54 fouls called in that game, but we came back Friday and had a great practice last night, and we were ready to roll. We're putting the work in and preparing to put ourselves in positions to win and I'm really proud of the result today."
West Georgia had the advantage on the boards, with Jones leading the way with nine rebounds to go with her 15 points. K'Nari Holliday had seven rebounds and was just shy of a double-digit scoring game, finishing with eight points.
The Wolves now return home on Thursday, January 30, taking on Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. from The Coliseum.
