BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort Women's Basketball team faced the Panthers of Florida Tech on Wednesday evening, closing out an 82–80 victory. USC Beaufort jumped out fast scoring the first nine points of the game before closing out the win from a 12-1 run in the fourth quarter led by a team high 20 points from Samantha Bardonaro.
The Sand Sharks improve to 2–1 on the season following the win, while the Panthers fall to 1–1.
USC Beaufort used a balanced scoring attack, with four players finishing in double figures. Samantha Bardonaro led the way with 20 points, including five three-pointers. She was joined by Taniyah Bowman, Lydia Gattozzi, and Janiyah Heyward. Bowman added a team-high five assists and four rebounds, while Gattozzi recorded a game-high four steals.
The Sand Sharks got off to a fast start as Bowman hit the opening shot after the Sand Sharks won the tip. That basket sparked a 9–0 run, capped by a Bardonaro three-pointer off a Bowman assist. USC Beaufort forced three turnovers in the first three minutes, and Bardonaro pushed the lead to double digits at 13–2 after another Panthers turnover. The run continued as the Sand Sharks allowed just one field goal in the first five minutes, stretching the lead to 19–3. Florida Tech cut the deficit to 10 before Gattozzi knocked down a jumper in the final second, giving USC Beaufort a 12-point lead after one quarter.
Defense controlled the early stages of the second quarter, as neither team scored for the first two minutes. Bowman answered a pair of Panthers free throws with a driving layup to keep the Sand Sharks ahead. A Bardonaro three-pointer then set up a Gattozzi steal, which led to another Bardonaro layup for her 13th point of the half. Carolina Coria scored on an offensive rebound to give USC Beaufort its largest lead of the game at 18. Florida Tech again closed the gap to nine, but Gattozzi beat the buzzer for the second straight quarter to restore a double-digit halftime lead, 39–28.
Heyward opened the second half with a basket off a Gattozzi assist, but the Panthers responded with a run of their own. A 17–7 stretch in the third quarter, powered by Florida Tech hitting five of its six shots and forcing four turnovers, cut the Sand Sharks' lead to 50–47. The Panthers got within two before a Heyward layup helped shift momentum back to USC Beaufort. Bardonaro knocked down another three, and Bri Pelote hit a jumper in the final seconds of the quarter, sending the Sand Sharks into the fourth with a 61–55 lead.
Florida Tech opened the fourth on a 7–0 run to take its first lead of the game at 62–61 and eventually stretched the advantage to 74–67 with four minutes remaining. A Heyward layup ended the run and sparked the Sand Sharks' comeback. USC Beaufort responded with a 9–1 run, featuring four points from Heyward and a Gattozzi layup, to reclaim the lead. The defense continued to hold strong, and Gattozzi's third steal helped extend the run to 12–1. After a Panthers three-pointer cut the lead to one, a Bardonaro free throw extended the advantage to four, helping USC Beaufort hold on for the 82–80 victory.
The Sand Sharks finished with 18 assists on 33 made shots and forced 26 turnovers, converting them into 28 points.
USCB returns to action Saturday afternoon on the road at Barton College before coming home Tuesday, November 25, for a 1:30 p.m. matchup against Lenoir–Rhyne University.
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