USC AIKEN WOMEN'S HOOPS WINS 500TH GAME!!!

COLUMBUS, Ga.--On a cold, rainy afternoon in Columbus, USC Aiken junior Meredith Legg and the rest of the Lady Pacers (10-3, 4-3 PBC) heated up the Lumpkin Center for a 75-61 win over Columbus State (7-6, 3-3 PBC) in women’s Peach Belt Conference basketball. Legg tied her career-high with 23 in the first half alone on 8-of-11 three-point attempts. She finished with 28. As a team, USCA tied a school record with 14 made treys.

It was the program’s second win in the last three visits to Columbus, avenging last year’s 75-74 overtime defeat. The victory is also USCA’s 500th win all-time in 32 years of women’s basketball.

Columbus State, winners of two straight, employed a zone defense in the first half against the Lady Pacers, shutting down the inside attack of Morgan Johnson and Jordon Thomas, but opening up opportunities for Legg. Despite a career game from the Huntersville, N.C. product, the Lady Pacers found themselves trailing at the break.

Turelle Jones’ fastbreak lay-up at the 14:58 mark of the opening stanza gave the Lady Cougars a 10-5 advantage. Legg proceeded to drain three-straight triples as USCA grabbed its first lead 14-12 less than two minutes later.

Following a rare Legg two-point basket, Jones ignited a 10-0 run and CSU pushed out to a 26-16 spread with 7:34 left in the half. Jones finished with 11 points as the Lady Cougars held a commanding 24-2 edge in points in the paint in the first half.

The Lady Pacers finally ended a four-and-a-half minute scoring drought on another Legg three with 7:28 on the clock, only to see Maria Grimes, CSU’s leading scorer at 17.8 ppg, counter with a three-pointer of her own on the ensuing possession. Grimes had 11 on the day.

Three more Legg long balls capped off by Nakia Pinkney’s trey with 2:44 on the clock capped off a 12-3 Lady Pacer run as USCA drew within a point at 32-31. Pinkney’s field goal ended 23-straight points scored by Legg, becoming the first Lady Pacer to scratch in the scoring column since Avonte Williams’ at the 16:54 mark.

Columbus State closed the half strong, however, scoring the final eight points to lead 40-31.

The first points of the second half belonged to Columbus State’s Monica Sicka as she extended the CSU lead to the largest of the game, 42-31 with 18:36 to play. Sicka led CSU with 12 points and eight rebounds.

After zoning USC Aiken in the first half, the Lady Cougars switched to man-to-man in the final frame, limiting Legg to just five second half points, but opening the door for her teammates.

After three first-half points by Williams, Johnson, and Megan Starnes combined, the trio scored 29 over the final 18 minutes.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Pinkney and Starnes sliced the deficit to 42-40 with 14:33 on the clock, part of a 24-8 USCA run that ended with a Thomas’ trey at 8:23 to put the Lady Pacers ahead 55-50.

Columbus State got within three with 7:18 remaining, but USCA countered with an 11-3 run to put the game away, posting the 75-61 victory.

Williams finished with 10 points while Thomas added seven points and a career-high seven assists. Her four steals also tied a career-mark set last weekend against Georgia Southwestern. Johnson collected her eighth-straight double figure night with 10 points, seven boards, and four blocks. Starnes added 12 points and four steals.

Finishing 8-of-14 from the three-point line for 28 points and seven rebounds, Legg registered her fourth 20-point scoring performance in the past seven games. The eight made three-pointers was two shy of the school and conference record held by Janell Gerk, the person that Legg ironically passed on the all-time threes list today, moving into third-place.

Suffering 20 first half turnovers, USC Aiken responded to commit just six second-half miscues, forcing Columbus State into 14 while the Lady Cougars recorded only one assist in the final 20 minutes.

USC Aiken shot 50.0 percent on the afternoon including 14-of-24 from deep for 58.3 percent. And after allowing 81.7 ppg to their last two opponents on the road, the Lady Pacers snapped their road losing streak at two, holding Columbus State to 61 points (21 in the second half) and forcing 27 turnovers.

USC Aiken will quickly turnaround and play at Augusta State on Monday, January 21 at 5:30 PM. In looking to avenge their only home defeat this year, the Lady Pacers will face a Lady Jag team that enjoyed a day off as weather forced the postponement of the ASU versus North Georgia match-up.

Source: University of South Carolina-Aiken Sports Information