By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
Sometimes, when the number one ranked team in a conference meets a team that is ranked near the bottom, the underdog plays exceptionally well and pulls off the upset or really challenges the front runner. Saturday night’s meeting between the number one ranked Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) and the 11th ranked Lady Panthers of Clark Atlanta University (CAU) was not one of those occasions. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) game was played at FVSU in the HPE Arena and from the opening tip the Lady Wildcats took the lead and never relinquished it. At the final buzzer, the Lady Wildcats claimed their 19th win of the season, 75-36.
Despite a low-scoring first half of 28 points, the Lady Wildcats took a 28-16 lead into the intermission. Plagued by turnovers (fostered in part by a tenacious Lady Wildcat press), the Lady Panthers had extreme difficulty settling into an offensive rhythm throughout the game. While not for certain, the 44 turnovers that the Lady Panthers had during the contest must approach a single-game record for CAU. However, what is for certain is the fact that the 39 point Lady Wildcat win is their largest margin of victory this season.
With practically every player on the FVSU roster scoring at least one point, the Lady Wildcats were led in scoring by Takesha Riggs and Bianca Thornton who both finished with a game-high 13 points. Riggs added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals to her total while Thornton chipped in five rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Brandi Haynes and Jasmine Birdsong were the other two Lady Wildcats to finish in double figure scoring. Haynes had 12 points while Birdsong finished with 11 points.
The Lady Wildcats are now 19-1 overall and 14-1 in conference play. They return to action on Thursday night (February 4th) when they host the Tigerettes of Tuskegee University at 6 p.m. in the HPE Arena. The game will be followed by men’s action featuring the Wildcats and the Golden Tigers.
General admission for Wildcats Basketball games is $7.
To view the box score for this game and for more information about Lady Wildcats Basketball, please visit www.fvsusports.com.
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