Women’s Basketball unable to overcome Second Half run from Middle Georgia

WEST POINT, Ga. (Feb. 3, 2024) - The Point University Women's Basketball team returned to the court for a Saturday afternoon Southern States Athletic Conference matchup against Middle Georgia State University where the Skyhawks fell to the Knights with a final score of 60-55. 

The Knights opened the game with the first two scores of the game and Chinedu Nnadi responded with a layup to put Point on the scoreboard. The Skyhawks quickly tied the game at five as Antonia Pittman knocked the three-pointer. Both teams continued to let it fly from behind the arc as the Knights scored their next basket on a three-pointer which was followed by a wide-open Jhakia Gist triple. The Skyhawks continued the stellar ball movement which continued to leave a player wide open which saw Lanee Edwards splash the following three-pointer for Point to lead 11-8. The first quarter ended with the Skyhawks' deep shooting being the story as Shakira Wilson scored on the triple for Point to lead 14-12.  

The Skyhawks opened the second period with Antonia Pittman breezing past the defense for the first layup to bring their lead to four. Point continued to build on their lead as the three-ball continued to be on their side with Lanee Edwards converting on her second triple of the game. Point ended the first half going on an 8-2 run to lead 30-22 at the break. 

The lead for Point jumped to double digits as Shanbriah Rule got the first half going with a mid-range jumper. Middle Georgia quickly brought the Skyhawk lead back to single digits with a quick 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 32-29. Ky'Leo Worriels would find her spot in the paint for the turn-around jump hook after the timeout but Middle Georgia continued to respond to each counter thrown their way. Resulting in the strong start from the Knights, Middle Georgia took their first lead since the 4:45 mark in the first quarter. Both opponents traded baskets with regaining the lead on a Lanee Edwards triple but the Knights fought their way to end the third quarter with a 43-40 lead. 

The final period of play saw Shanbriah Rule catching a rhythm to keep Point in the game with back-to-back scores with their deficit at three. The Knights stretched the lead 52-47 which resulted in Rule knocking down the wide-open corner three to bring the score to 52-50 with under four minutes left. Middle Georgia did not waste time responding to the triple and adding two free throws for the five-point lead. The Knights followed with miscommunication on the defensive side by leaving Mirial Cannon wide open for the three to cut the lead to 57-55. On the final two possessions on the offensive end for Point, Middle Georgia forced a turnover and blocked a crucial three-pointer to win the game 60-55. 

In the Box 

Shanbriah Rule led with 14 Points, four rebounds, and four assists. Mirial Cannon followed with 13 Points, 10 rebounds, and one steal. Lanee Edwards was the leading scorer off the bench with nine points, three rebounds, and four steals.  

Up Next 

The Skyhawks return to road play for their makeup game against Paine College on Monday, February 5th starting at 5:00 P.M.