Women's Hoops Outlasts LWC; Earns MSC Title Berth

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Some days, to prevail on the hardwood, you have to simply stay the course and continue to stick to the game plan. Sunday was one of those days for the Georgetown College women's basketball team.

The Tigers (22-10) pounded the basketball inside, and they controlled the rebounding battle all afternoon, but it took until the third quarter for the Tigers to start to see the fruit of their labor against upset-minded Lindsey Wilson College (16-15). Georgetown got LWC into foul trouble early, and in the third frame, they capitalized to take control of the game on their way to the 66-56 win to advance to the final of the Mid-South Conference Championship.

The Tigers's game plan was evident early, but they were unable to capitalize. The Tigers snared five offensive rebounds in the opening quarter, but they were unable to turn them into any second chance points. The Blue Raiders took advantage of that, as well as five turnovers in the quarter to lead for much of the frame, though at the end of 10 minutes of play the score was tied at 12.

Both teams continued to pound the basketball inside in the second frame, and the nature of the game began to give the Tigers opportunities to put Lindsey Wilson in Foul Trouble. The Tigers forced six fouls on the Blue Raiders in the second quarter, three of them on Jordyn Stephens, and that sent the Tigers to the foul line. Georgetown needed those opportunities to keep the game close, as they struggled shooting the ball in the period, and Lindsey Wilson took a 25-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the third stanza, the interior pounding began to pay off for the Tigers. The strategy forced Lindsey Wilson into committing 12 fouls in the quarter, and that, coupled with an injury, began to open things up for Georgetown on the low block. Georgetown was able to get to the line for 13 made free throws in the quarter, and at the end the frame, Georgetown began to get open looks at the basket, and heading into the fourth period, Georgetown had surged ahead 43-38.

Georgetown got back-to-back layups from Madison Darnell to start the final frame, and Jazzmyn Elston added another to cap what was a 13-0 run that spanned the quarter break as the Tigers seized a 49-38 advantage. Lindsey Wilson mounted one final charge in the late stages of the fourth. They trimmed the Georgetown lead to just four points with two minutes to go, but four foul shots from Darnell and a steal and layup from Elston sealed the win, as Georgetown took the 66-56 victory.

Elston led all scorers in the game with 22 points, followed closely by Darnell who finished with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds. AJ Stevenson chipped in nine points, and Jalynn Landversicht tied Darnell with nine boards.

Georgetown was 21-for-56 (37.5%) shooting in the game, but just 3-for-13 (23.1 %) from long distance. Interestingly, Neither team attempted many three pointers after the first quarter, opting instead to continue an interior attack, and as a result, Georgetown was 21-for-31 (67.7%) from the foul line. The Tigers dominated the rebounding battle, as they snared 44 rebounds to just 22 for LWC.

The win advances the Tigers to the MSC title game for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they fell to the Campbellsville University Tigers. The Tigers are seeking their first MSC title since the 2007-08 season when they defeated Lindsey Wilson 78-73 to win the championship.

Georgetown will face Campbellsville (28-4) for the title. Campbellsville finished second in the MSC during the regular season, and they swept Georgetown in the regular season series. The title tilt is set to begin on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.