The Skyhawks’ soar past the Eagles to move their winning streak to six

WEST POINT, Ga. (Dec. 30, 2022) - The Point University Women's Basketball team returned to action on Friday for a non-conference game against Faulkner University at the West Point Park Gymnasium and wo pulled through to win 64-54.

Mataea Boyd set the tone for the Skyhawks with a quick steal off the tip to finish with a layup to put Point on the scoreboard first. The Eagles did not take long to respond with their own score as Evaiah Burrows made the first basket for Faulkner. Jasmine Griggs connected with Marta Gimenez on the offensive end for a solid take to the lane to get the next bucket for Point. Mirial Cannon got her evening going with a triple, giving the Skyhawks a 7-4 lead. Gimenez helped Point extend their lead in the early beginnings as she scored the next two layups to give the Skyhawks a seven-point lead. Morgan Holland halted the run from the Skyhawks as she breezed past a few defenders to bring their deficit to five. Mirial Cannon continued to be aggressive on the offensive end as Sheyvonne Owens connected with her for the layup. Point added fuel to the fire as Destinee Ellison made the three-pointer for the Skyhawks to bring the score to 16-8. As time winded down in the first period, Nequoia Adams got Faulkner's deficit to six after the made jump shot. 

Evaiah Burrows got the Eagles going with a three-pointer with hopes of helping Faulkner go on a run to take the lead. Mirial Cannon crushed any chance of the Skyhawks breaking their lead as she scored the basket to end Point's cold offensive stretch. The Skyhawks started rolling on the offensive end as Sheyvonne Owen's next layups put Point ahead by nine. Nequoia Adams came down the court with a jumper of her own, but Jasmine Griggs retaliated with a three-pointer to bring the score to 27-17. Mirial Cannon adds to the Skyhawks' lead by knocking down another three-pointer for Point. Cannon's double-digit first half continued as she scored the last basket of the half for the Skyhawks to bring the score to 32-23. 

Mirial Cannon came out of halftime and proved not to have cooled down as she put the Skyhawks on the board first with a triple, giving Point a 12-point lead. Marta Gimenez kept pushing the tempo on the next offensive possession as she connected with Jasmine Griggs for the fastbreak layup. Mataea Boyd added to the lead with a strong take to the paint of her own, which Griggs assisted. Boyd returned on the next two possessions with made layups to bring Point's lead to 43-28. The Skyhawks' offense continued to get their sets going as Ky'Leo Worriels scored on the hook shot. Jasmine Griggs found Marta Gimenez on the backdoor layup, bringing their lead to 16, their most significant lead of the evening. Faulkner started the find life on offense as Kinlee Varnell scored the triple, followed by a layup from Nequoia Adams. After the timeout from Point, Ananda Hughley boosted the Skyhawks on offense with another backdoor layup from the Skyhawks. Mirial Cannon continued to be patient on the offensive end, resulting in another made basket from her. Mataea Boyd scored the last quarter basket for the Skyhawks to lead 53-38. 

Marta Gimenez started the final period by coming off a double screen for the wide-open made three-pointer. Faulkner shook off the rust and scored the next two baskets to bring their deficit to 11. The Eagles continued to battle through the game as they converted their two free throws to bring it back to a single-digit game. The intensity of the Eagles' defense saw the Skyhawks turn the ball over on the press, and Faulkner would convert on the layup to bring it closer in their range. As time got to under two minutes, Point slowed the tempo down and started to draw fouls to get them to the free-throw line. With the Skyhawks going 1-for-2 on two trips, Point pushed their lead to nine as Mataea Boyd scored the go-ahead basket. The Skyhawks finished the game strong scoring their last four points off of free throws. 

In the box 

Mirial Cannon led the Skyhawks with 19 Points, six rebounds and one blocked shot. Marta Gimenez followed with 14 points, four assists and two steals. Mataea Boyd contributed with 12 Points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Coach's Quote 

Head Coach Tory Wooley was pleased with how his team prevailed through the entire game and finished until the final buzzer. "I couldn't be more proud of our young ladies for putting together a 40-minute game. It got challenging, but we finished the job and beat a really good team." Wooley was also proud of the ball movement that his team showed throughout the game. "We're a really good team when we're moving the ball from one side of the floor to the other side." 

Up Next 

The Skyhawks will start the new year by returning to conference play on Tuesday, January 3, for a road AAC Matchup against Bluefield University starting at 1:00 P.M.