North Georgia Knocks off Southern Arkansas
Posted by Houston Taylor on November 21, 2008 · Leave a Comment
By: Houston Taylor
CLEVELAND, Miss. – Southern Arkansas couldn’t hold its early lead, falling 70-61 to North Georgia College & State Friday in the opening game of the Delta State Margaret Wade Memorial Classic at Sillers Coliseum.
The Lady Muleriders (0-3), dropping their third straight game in opening the season, held an early seven-point advantage and a 31-25 edge at 3:17 in the first half. But the Lady Saints used an 11-2 run to close out the half with a 36-33 lead.
SAU worked itself back in it, trailing by just five at 66-61 with 2:20 remaining, but North Georgia sank four free throws down the stretch and held Southern Arkansas scoreless the final two minutes to pull out the win.
The Lady Saints (1-0) took the lead for good with 53 ticks remaining in the first half on Krystyn Young’s jumper.
Brooke Baker was 6 of 8 from the floor, hitting two treys, and 3 of 4 free throws to lead North Georgia with 17 points. Syretha Marble finished with 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Freshman forward Kmaria Hobbs hit double digits in points for her third consecutive game, scoring a game-high 22 for the Lady Muleriders and also pulling down seven boards. Junior guard Goldie White, sophomore forward Kristy Shinn, and senior guard Shanaye Davis each finished with nine points.
The Lady Saints shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the field, 40.0 percent (4-10) from beyond the arc, and 55.6 (10-18) at the free throw line. SAU hit 23 of 60 (38.3), 4 of 14 (28.6), and 11 for 16 (68.8).
North Georgia had a 36-32 rebounding edge, outscored Southern Arkansas 42-28 inside, and committed 20 turnovers to the Lady Muleriders’ 19.
SAU continues play in the classic Saturday in a 4 p.m. game with West Florida.
