Women’s Basketball rolls past the Royals on the road

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 4, 2023)- The Point University Women's Basketball team continued their road trip as the Skyhawks faced off against Johnson University in an Appalachian Athletic Conference showdown in which Point won 72-56. 

Mataea Boyd got the Skyhawks started from behind the arc with a three-pointer. Jasmine Griggs followed up with the smooth layup to the rim to give the Skyhawks a quick 5-0 lead. Point's plan to start fast continued to be a success as Mirial Cannon splashed a three-pointer of her own which was followed by a layup from Marta Gimenez for the early 10-2 advantage. The hot streak did not stop there as Mataea Boyd tacked her second triple of the first quarter. Johnson halted Point's run by finishing the first quarter on an 11-0 run to go into the second period tied at 13. 

Mirial Cannon got the Skyhawks going with a three-pointer to put Point back ahead by three. Ky'Leo Worriels was found in the paint by Marta Gimenez for the easy layup to extend their lead to 18-13. Point started to find their rhythm by moving the ball and getting stops which resulted in their next two scores coming off a jump shot and layup. The Royals continued to hang in the game but their next two trips on defense would not be successful as Ky'Leo Worriels finished the layups for Point. As the quarter winded under two minutes, two free throws from Mataea Boyd and a layup from Mirial Cannon gave the Skyhawks an 11-point lead. Johnson's two made free throws cut their deficit to nine as both teams went into the half to regroup. 

Jasmine Griggs and Mirial Cannon started the third quarter by cashing in on made jumpers to bring the Skyhawks' lead back to double digits. Griggs started to catch fire as she scored the next two jumpers for Point. Ananda Hughley entered the fray by showing why she is dangerous from behind the arc by making a three-pointer to push their lead to 41-25. After the timeout from Point, Mataea Boyd breezed through the defense for the and-one layup, which was followed by the converted free throw. Boyd tested Johnson's defense again by adding another and-one layup on the next possession. The Skyhawks' took their biggest lead of the game after Marta Gimenez knocked down the three-point ball, which brought the score 50-30. Jasmine Griggs added another jumper for Point, followed by two free throws from Mataea Boyd to end the quarter with all the momentum on their side. 

Marta Gimenez started the Skyhawks off on the right foot as she showed she was not afraid of driving into the paint for the layup. Sheyvonne Owens made her return to the court after a two-game absence to get the following layup for the Skyhawks. Owens continued to add to the Skyhawks' score with another strong layup in the paint. Point did not stop their offensive attack as Jasmine Griggs, and Marta Gimenez added to the Skyhawks' score with a layup and three-pointer to bring their lead to 18. The Skyhawks finished the game by making their final four free throws to win 72-56. 

In the Box 

Mataea Boyd led the Skyhawks with 18 Points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Mirial Cannon followed with 14 Points and six rebounds. Jasmine Griggs added 12 Points, six rebounds and six assists. Ky'Leo Worriels led the Skyhawks on the boards with 12 rebounds. 

Coach's Quote 

Head Coach Tory Wooley was genuinely happy with how his team battled on the boards and distributed the ball. "We did an outstanding job rebounding the ball today. We-out rebounded our opponent by 19, with Ky'Leo leading the way with 12 rebounds. I thought we did a better job in transition in the second half as Marta and Jasmine did a great job distributing the ball as they combined for 10 assists while both scoring in double figures, along with Mirial's 14 points and Mataea's dominant performance of 18 Points. Our ladies went 13-13 from the free throw line, shooting 100% once again from the foul line for the second straight game. We're one step closer to our goal and have to finish the regular season strong." 

Up Next 

Point will travel to Laurinburg, North Carolina, for an AAC matchup against St. Andrews University on Thursday, February 9, starting at 5:30 P.M.