CARROLLTON, Ga. - In a game that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties, it was the UWG women's basketball team coming out on top against the Alabama State Hornets on Thursday night, 64-61.
West Georgia (2-1) gutted out a win despite shooting just 28.1 percent from the field against Alabama State (1-3), outrebounding the Hornets 54 to 48 in the win.
"I'm proud of our team's resilience. We didn't have our best game offensively," said head coach Joanna Reitz following the game. "We didn't shoot the ball as well as we normally do, but we dug in, we got stops, we got rebounds, and we found a way to win ugly."
The game was extremely physical as the teams combined for 42 personal fouls. UWG drew 27 fouls and went to the free throw line 35 times on the night.
Destiny Jones went to the line 16 times on the night, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wolves in both categories.
"She's an incredible player and capable of that kind of output, and the fact that she did that in 24 minutes is really, really impressive," Reitz said of her sophomore's performance.
In the game's opening quarter, UWG's offense was a little slow, hitting just three field goals. West Georgia was aggressive, however, and made it to the free throw line 12 times and converted eight.
Alabama State shot over 40 percent in the first and led 17-14 after 10 minutes of play.
The nation's leader in three-pointers per game, Jasmine Jones, hit two three pointers in the second, the first of which gave UWG their first lead since midway through the first at 23-21.
Gal-la Font hit a three and a layup on back-to-back possessions in the back half of the period and extended the Wolves' lead to the largest of the half at 28-23.
Alabama State used an and-one play in the closing minute to cut the UWG advantage to three at 30-27 at the break.
The Wolves opened the second half 1-of-7 from the field, allowing the Hornets to regain the lead after an 8-2 run. From there, the lead would flip back-and forth with UWG answering with a 6-0 run of their own to go back up by three before the Hornets swarmed back in front. Destiny Jones scored the final seven points of the period for the Wolves, sending the game to the final period with UWG up, 45-42.
Three minutes into the fourth, Alabama State got back in front before Jones poured in another three, this one falling at the 6:49 mark and putting the Wolves up 50-49.
At the 3:09 mark, Jones hit another three to put UWG up 57-55.
West Georgia would never trail over the remainder of the game, going 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final two and a half minutes.
Along with the 18 from Jones, Asia Donald added 16 points in the win. Jasmine Jones chipped in with 13 while Tolbert and Gal-la Font each had six. Grace O'Gara led the Wolves once again in the assist category, dishing out four.
"A great win at home, any win is tough," Reitz added. "The new coach at Alabama State is doing a great job, they are a totally different team than they were last year. We knew going it was going to be a tough game, so I'm proud we found a way to pull it out.
Next up for the Wolves is a midweek trip to Georgia Tech on November 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Sydne Tolbert tied a career-high with nine rebounds.
- Destiny Jones' double-double marked the 10th of her career and the first of her sophomore campaign.
- In two career games against ASU, Jones is averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per contest.
- Jasmine Jones finished the game with four three-pointers, giving her 16 through three games. She led the nation in three-pointers made per game entering play and now averages 5.33 per contest.
