BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort Women's Basketball team faced the Middle Georgia Knights on Saturday afternoon, earning an 86–79 overtime victory for its sixth consecutive win.
USCB improved to 14–7 on the season with an 11–3 conference record, while Middle Georgia fell to 15–7 overall and 8–7 in conference play.
The Sand Sharks were led in scoring by Taniyah Bowman with 24 points. She was one of five players in double figures, joined by Samantha Bardonaro with 20 points after hitting five three-pointers, Lydia Gattozzi with 14 points, Bri Pelote with 12 points, and Janiyah Heyward with 10 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double.
Saturday's game opened as a defensive battle, with neither team making a field goal in the first two minutes. The only scoring came from the free-throw line until Heyward opened the scoring for the Sand Sharks. After USCB forced a turnover, Heyward followed with a driving layup to give the Sand Sharks a 2–1 lead. At the halfway point of the first quarter, USCB trailed 6–5 before Middle Georgia hit a three-pointer to extend its lead to 9–5. The Sand Sharks trailed 19–10 after the Knights closed the quarter on a run.
The deficit reached double digits early in the second quarter when a pull-up jumper by Kristen Foglia made it 22–10 at the 8:22 mark. After trailing by 11, a Bardonaro three-pointer, her first of the game,cut the deficit to single digits at 24–16 with 6:34 left in the quarter. Middle Georgia maintained roughly a 10-point lead for most of the period before a Bardonaro three-pointer and back-to-back Bowman layups brought USCB within four at 34–30. A last-second shot by the Knights sent Middle Georgia into halftime with a 36–30 lead.
USCB's best quarter came in the third, as Gattozzi opened the scoring with a three-pointer assisted by Izellah Kendrick to bring the Sand Sharks within one possession. A second Gattozzi three-pointer and a steal leading to a Heyward layup erased the double-digit deficit and tied the game. After briefly trailing by two, Pelote completed a three-point play to give USCB its first lead since the opening quarter at 46–45. The Sand Sharks continued the run, outscoring Middle Georgia 22–9 in the quarter while forcing four turnovers and holding the Knights to 4-of-16 shooting. USCB led 52–45 entering the fourth quarter.
The Sand Sharks stretched the lead to double digits following a Bowman driving layup, taking a 59–49 advantage with 6:12 remaining. The lead grew to as many as 11 after a Bardonaro three-pointer made it 62–51. At the two-minute mark, Middle Georgia began its comeback, using an 8–1 run to cut the deficit to 70–67. After trading points in the final 30 seconds, Bowman gave USCB a two-point lead with seven seconds remaining before Mauryah Jones hit a buzzer-beater to tie the game at 74–74 and force overtime.
In the extra period, Bardonaro opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper for her 20th point of the game. The Sand Sharks scored the first seven points of overtime to build an 81–74 lead and held the advantage the rest of the way, closing out the 86–79 win. The 86 points marked a new season high for USCB.
The Sand Sharks forced 24 turnovers in the victory, converting them into 24 points, and recorded 14 steals, led by four from Gattozzi.
USCB returns home for a battle for first place in the conference against Columbus State on Wednesday, February 11th, at 5:30 p.m. in the Cove on Novant Health Court.
Stay tuned to uscbathletics.com and follow Sand Shark Athletics on social media for the latest news, updates, and information.
