ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The University of South Carolina Beaufort women's basketball team opened the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic with a commanding 62–38 victory, fueled by a strong defensive performance that held Barry University to 26 percent shooting and just 11 percent from three. USCB limited Barry to 10 or fewer points in three of the four quarters and built a 17-point halftime lead before sealing the win.
The victory evens the Sand Sharks' record at 3–3 on the season.
USCB was led by a pair of double-figure scorers: Lydia Gattozzi finished with 13 points and Samantha Bardonaro added 12. Janiyah Heyward collected a team-high seven rebounds while scoring eight points, and Taniyah Bowman paced the team with four assists.
The Sand Sharks started fast on Friday afternoon, with Heyward scoring the game's first four points. Barry answered with its first basket on an offensive rebound, but USCB created separation midway through the period as two of the next three makes were three-pointers by Bardonaro and Elly Lewis, giving the Sand Sharks a 14–8 lead. The USCB defense shut out Barry for the final five minutes of the quarter, and a late basket assisted by Bardonaro helped secure a 16–8 advantage after 10 minutes. Six different Sand Sharks scored in the opening frame, led by Heyward's four.
USCB quickly pushed the lead into double digits in the second quarter. After five straight points from Barry, Courtney Campbell halted the momentum with a three-pointer, sparking a 7–0 run that restored a 10-point cushion at 23–13. The run extended to 15–0 as USCB forced multiple turnovers, leading to back-to-back threes from Bardonaro and a 31–13 advantage. A late basket by Izellah Kendrick kept the margin comfortable heading into halftime, where the Sand Sharks led 35–18.
Bardonaro led all scorers at the break with nine points on three made threes. As a team, USCB shot 71 percent from beyond the arc (5–7) and 68 percent overall in the half.
Gattozzi opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 20 for the first time. She scored seven of USCB's first 10 points of the period, helping to build a 45–20 lead after a turnover and assist from Madison Self. The Sand Sharks continued their momentum with a 15–2 run capped by points from Bri Pelote, pushing the lead to 30 at 50–20. The defense held Barry scoreless for five minutes before a late Buccaneer basket, and USCB ended the third quarter ahead 53–24.
The fourth quarter opened as a defensive battle until the Sand Sharks connected on their first field goal at the 6:33 mark, answering a brief 4–0 Barry run. Ellie Meyer extended the margin back to 30 with a second-chance put-back following an offensive rebound by Ashley Forner. USCB closed out the game decisively, securing the 62–38 win.
USCB finished the contest shooting 50% from three and 48.1% overall, while assisting on 16 of 25 made field goals. The defense forced 18 turnovers, including nine steals, and held Barry to 26 percent shooting from the floor.
The Sand Sharks close out the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday against the host, Eckerd College, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.
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