MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA — The University of South Carolina Beaufort women's basketball team battled to close out a thrilling 65–63 road victory over the Georgia College & State Bobcats. After a tightly contested fourth quarter, Taniyah Bowman hit a clutch shot in the closing seconds to push the Sand Sharks to victory.
Bowman scored a game-high 20 points as one of three Sand Sharks to finish in double figures. Lydia Gattozzi added 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Janiyah Heyward contributed 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Heyward was the first Sand Shark to score in Wednesday's road matchup, answering a Georgia College & State three-pointer assisted by Bri Pelote. With the Bobcats leading 8–4, defense took over on both sides as neither team scored for more than three minutes. Gattozzi ended the drought with a basket to cut the deficit to 8–6. After GCSU pushed its lead to seven at 13–6, Courtney Campbell responded with five straight points, including a three-pointer, to trim the margin to 13–11 at the end of the first quarter.
The Sand Sharks stole momentum in the second quarter as Heyward opened the scoring with a jump shot to tie the game at 13–13. The teams traded baskets, with the score tied three more times, the last at 18–18, before USCB jumped in front. Izellah Kendrick gave the Sand Sharks a 20–19 lead on a layup assisted by Elly Lewis with 6:17 left in the half. After a two-minute scoring drought, Bowman knocked down a jumper off an assist from Madison Self to extend the lead to 22–19.
USCB continued to build its advantage as Bowman completed a three-point play, followed by a Gattozzi layup to make it an eight-point game. Campbell closed the half with her second three-pointer, giving her eight points at the break and sending the Sand Sharks into halftime with a 34–27 lead. USCB held the Bobcats to 38% shooting while converting 50% of its own attempts in the first half.
The defensive battle continued in the third quarter as the Sand Sharks held Georgia College & State scoreless for the first four minutes while extending their lead to nine. Kendrick later scored on a put-back layup while drawing a foul and converting the free throw to give USCB a 41–31 advantage. GCSU responded with eight straight points to cut the lead to 41–39 with 3:30 remaining. Gattozzi stopped the run, but a Bobcats three-pointer in the final minute sent the game into the fourth quarter with USCB holding a 45–43 lead.
Georgia College & State opened the fourth quarter with five straight points to take a 48–45 lead with 8:43 remaining. The Sand Sharks were held scoreless until Gattozzi completed a three-point play to tie the game. Bowman then scored four consecutive points midway through the quarter to give USCB the lead. The Bobcats later tied the game and took a 61–60 lead with 1:23 remaining.
After Bowman tied the score once again, Samantha Bardonaro put USCB ahead 63–61. The game was tied one final time before Bowman delivered the game-winning jumper to make it 65–63. The Sand Sharks forced a defensive stop on the final possession to secure the road victory.
In an evenly matched game, both teams shot 40% from the floor, with the game featuring 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
The Sand Sharks will return to action after the New Year, hosting Clayton State on January 3 with tip-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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