DECATUR, Ga. - In a battle of David vs. Goliath today at the Woodruff Gymnasium, Agnes Scott held their own in an 83-65 loss to league-leading LaGrange.
Anissa Brailsford led the Scotties with a double-double in the contest. LaGrange currently sits in first-place in the Collegiate Conference of the South, with a 6-1 record in conference play.
Agnes Scott (1-14, 0-7 CCS) welcomed back
Alex McElroy, who has missed most of the season with injuries. She made her appearance known immediately, calmly draining a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the game to give the Scotties the early advantage. The teams would be locked at 8 points apiece with 1:37 to play in the first quarter, before the pressing defense of the Panthers (10-6, 6-1 CCS) would pay off with three straight turnovers resulting in baskets. McElroy would finish the quarter with two free throws to bring the lead back to 5 for the Panthers, as the quarter ended in favor of LaGrange, 15-10.Â
In the second quarter, the Panthers maintained their lead but were not able to add to it significantly, as their lead never stretched into double figures headed into halftime. Reserves
Ava Hendrie and
Jonah Wood would help the Scotties out with two from behind the arc to add some depth, as starters
Ryley Jolly, Brailsford, and
Cybele Forbes all picked up three fouls before halftime and were limited in their action. The Panthers entered the break with a 35-26 lead.
In the third quarter, the Panthers were finally able to give themselves a comfortable advantage, largely behind the play of leading-scorer, Laila Battle, who sank three of her game-high six three-pointers in the frame. The Panthers would lead by as much as 25 before a traditional three-point play from
Kaycie Hyde helped the Scotties close the gap slightly, trailing 64-42 entering the last quarter.
The Scotties played their best basketball in the fourth quarter, as they fought back and closed the lead to 13, as Hendrie sank two more three-pointers to go a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. That was as close as the Scotties would come, as reserve Jasmine Owens scored three baskets for LaGrange down the stretch to put the game out of reach. The final basket of the contest came when
Kaycie Hyde launched a half-court shot which was on target, sending the home crowd into a loud cheer as the home team fans appreciated the strong effort from the team.
Brailsford led the Scotties with her best all-around performance of the season, as she contributed in every facet, scoring 15 points, hauling in 13 rebound, and dishing out 3 assists while picking up 3 steals. McElroy had a solid debut, helping handle the Panther press throughout the game, only committing two turnovers. She also had 10 points and 4 steals. Hyde finished with 10 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Hendrie finished with a season-high 9 points on perfect long-distance shooting.
The Scotties will face off at home once again this Tuesday, January 20, as they face off with Wesleyan (0-14, 0-7 CCS) as each team looks for their first conference win of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Woodruff.
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