CARROLLTON, Ga. - The UWG women's basketball team remained undefeated at home and won their fifth consecutive contest on Saturday, knocking off the Stetson Hatters 88-76 in Atlantic Sun Conference play at The Coliseum.
West Georgia (12-5, 5-1 ASUN) stayed red-hot by posting three scorers in double-figures including a double-double by Destiny Jones to earn a victory over Stetson (10-6, 3-2 ASUN) to make it 11 straight victories at home.
"What a win. They are a very good team with some really, really good pieces on their team," said head coach Joanna Reitz. "But I was really proud of our response in the second half defensively. And I was really pleased with our effort on the boards."
UWG outscored Stetson 41-27 in the second half and dominated the glass, leading in the rebounding category 45-27. The Wolves pulled down 16 offensive rebounds to lead to a 19-9 advantage in second chance points.
"Coming off of Thursday's game, we didn't feel like we did our best job on the boards. That was a huge emphasis going into today and our kids really answered that challenge," added Reitz.
Jasmine Jones led UWG with 21 points, hitting five three-pointers in the win. Asia Donald just missed a 20-point game and a double-double, scoring 19 to go with nine rebounds. Destiny Jones had 18 points and 11 rebounds and was 7-for-8 from the field.
"It makes it really fun and it takes some pressure off," Reitz said when asked postgame about the way the Wolves distributed the scoring and effort on Saturday. "It's not like 'I have to have a good game or the team's going to struggle,' because we have so many weapons out there. I think it makes us tough to scout and it's a credit to our players because they play so unselfish."
Grace O'Gara helped distribute the ball well in Saturday's win, dishing out seven assists.
West Georgia was effective offensively in the opening quarter, shooting 56.3 percent from the field, including a 4-of-6 clip from distance. Jasmine Jones hit all three of her three-point attempts, scoring nine of the Wolves' 24 first quarter points, helping UWG lead 24-19 after one.
Gal-la Font was also sharpshooting from three-point land early, connecting on all of her first three attempts.
Early in the second, UWG led by eight, but the Hatters continued chipping away until they eventually led at the halftime break. Late turnovers by the Wolves led to a second quarter closing 5-0 run by the Hatters, capped off by a fast break layup with three seconds left to give the visitors a 49-47 halftime lead.
The third quarter started back-and-forth until a quick 6-0 run gave UWG a 59-53 advantage at the 5:19 mark of the third quarter. Stetson's Cameron Thomas, who led all scorers with 26, hit a layup at the buzzer to send the game to the fourth quarter with UWG up 66-62.
Destiny Jones and Asia Donald took over in the game's final period as they combined to score 16 of the Wolves' 22 fourth quarter points. Stetson last led 68-67 at the 8:45 mark of the fourth before UWG closed out the contest on a 21-8 run to earn the 12-point victory.
Sydne Tolbert and Gal-la Font each finished with nine while O'Gara had seven.
UWG now goes on the road on Wednesday, January 21, traveling to Conway, Arkansas for a conference matchup against the Central Arkansas Bears.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- It was Jasmine Jones' seventh 20-point scoring game of the season, and she's done it four times in six ASUN conference games. The senior finished the week with 47 points in two games (23.5 per game) and was 11-for-19 from beyond the arc in the wins over FGCU and Stetson combined.
- The double-double for Destiny Jones was the 13th of her career and the fourth of her sophomore campaign.
- O'Gara's seven assists was the second most she has had this season and the fifth game with at least five assists.
- The win gave the Wolves their best start in conference play since the 2008-09 season. The Wolves finished that season, 22-7.
