Lady Wildcats Stifle Stillman
By: FVSU Office of Sports Information
In Saturday afternoon’s match up between the Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) and the Lady Tigers of Stillman College, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) leader Lady Wildcats mounted a stifling defense against Stillman which led to a comfortable 66-48 win. The proof of the Lady Wildcats defensive prowess is found in the fact that they forced 28 turnovers by the Lady Tigers which led to 32 FVSU points.
While they notched their 21st win, it was a relatively slow start for the Lady Wildcats. The sluggish start was due, in large part, to the fact that a different set of Lady Wildcats played most of the minutes in the first half. In fact, at the 14:40 mark of the first half, FVSU trailed by seven points to the Lady Tigers. By halftime, the Lady Wildcats had eradicated the deficit and led 26-24 at the intermission.
The start was totally different for the Lady Wildcats in the second half. With most of the regular rotation of Lady Wildcats on the floor, FVSU really stepped up its’ defensive intensity. In addition to holding the Lady Tigers to a 24-point second half, the Lady Wildcats expanded their halftime lead of seven points to as many as 24 in the second half.
In a game that included six lead changes, FVSU’s 20 points scored inside the paint, 32 points off turnovers, six points on second shot opportunities, and 27 points from reserve players was too powerful a combination for Stillman to overcome.
Takesha Riggs led the Lady Wildcats in scoring with 15 points. The senior, team captain also had three rebounds, three assists, one block, and five steals. Brandi Haynes also finished in double figure scoring with 11 points. Overall, the Lady Wildcats shot 43% from the floor (25 of 58). They converted five of 13 three-point shots and made 11 of 14 free throws.
The Lady Wildcats are now 21-1 overall and 16-1 in conference play. They return to action on Saturday night (February 13th) in the HPE Arena when they host the Lady Rams of Albany State University as a part of the FVSU Department of Athletics “Night of Champions.” In a night dedicated to recognizing FVSU champions from the 2008-09 athletic season, the 2008-09 Lady Wildcats Basketball Team will be honored for winning last year’s regular season and conference championships at halftime of the men’s game.
The Lady Wildcats and Lady Rams will play at 6 p.m. followed by men’s action featuring the Wildcats and Golden Rams at 8 p.m.
General admission for Wildcats Basketball games is $7.
To view the box score for this game and for more information about Lady Wildcats Basketball, please visit www.fvsusports.com.
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