UNCG Women’s Basketball Picks Up Road Win Over Stetson, 65-58
DELAND, Fla. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women’s basketball team filled the stat sheet in a non-conference road win over Stetson, 65-58 Thursday morning at Edmunds Center.
Akira Wiggins led the game with 18 points, while Faith Price(Ragsdale High School) was second with 17 points. The Spartans’ 42.6-percent field-goal shooting outmatched the Hatters’ 31.6-percent. UNCG also shot 26.1 from behind the arc, compared to Stetson’s 9.1-percent.
Head Coach Trina Patterson on the key to the win
“The key to the win was our defense, we really guarded well. I think our attitude also affected the game. We had some players show leadership and we handled adversity because that is a growth process. Throughout the game, we kept believing that we would make the next play. We had some really solid stops, and I thought our press defense was pretty good which wore Stetson down. Overall, it was a good team effort.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNCG began the game with a 6-1 advantage, with buckets from Akira Wiggins, Faith Price, and Khalis Cain. The Spartans continued with the lead until a layup from the Hatters at 3:08 in the first quarter, 10-9. UNCG ended the first frame with the final basket with 15 seconds remaining as Jordan Releford made a free throw to tie the game for the second time, 12-12.
The two teams traded baskets in the second quarter, as UNCG looked to maintain a four-point lead after a Nia Howard layup with 6:20 remaining, 20-16. The Hatters went on a 14-2 run to conclude the second frame, heading to the locker room with its largest lead of eight, 30-22.
Out of the locker room, UNCG cut the deficit to three, 27-30, behind a jumper from Wiggins and a three pointer from Nitzan Amar. At 5:32 in the third quarter, Price’s shot from the behind the arc fell to tie the game at 32. UNCG climbed up to a six-point advantage behind a 9-3 run, 41-35. Stetson scored five-straight points to hold a one-point advantage, 41-40, at the end of the frame.
UNCG began the fourth quarter with a 15-4 in a span of 3:11 for its largest lead of the game of 10 points, 56-46. The 15 points included three three-pointers with two from Price and one from Amar. The Spartans held the lead for the remainder of the game, as the Hatters closed the gap to four in the final minutes, 56-60, before UNCG secured the win, 65-58.
Coach Patterson on the work paying off from practice
“We have struggled with turnovers and we worked on it this week and our goal is to work hard and get better. I thought we were intentional about how we handled the pressure. We had players step up and make great plays and make good decisions. The game is not going to be perfect, but we had the right mindset on the road, which is very difficult to do.”
BY THE NUMBERS
· Wiggins’ 18 points & Price’s 17 points were season highs.
· Cain contributed eight points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and matched her career-best five steals.
· Amar also had eight points, as well as two blocks.
· Releford matched her career-best of three steals, while also chipping in five points.
· UNCG is now 2-0 against Stetson.
· UNCG had 15 assists, to Stetson’s nine while the Spartans had 12 steals to the Hatters’ six.
· The Spartans scored 18 points off of turnovers and 16 points off of fast breaks.
RECORDS
UNCG: 5-6
Stetson: 5-6
UP NEXT
The Spartans wrap up their three-game road trip with their second SEC opponent, the Florida Gators on Sunday, December 18 at 2 p.m.
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro