LaGrange women face Piedmont on the road in GSAC contest
Feb. 2, 2007

GAME FACTS -
The LaGrange College women's basketball team goes on the road to face GSAC foe Piedmont on Saturday. Both teams enter the game on three-game winning streaks. The Panthers downed Atlanta Christian 81-61 on the road Thursday. Piedmont routed Hollins 87-33 on the road Monday. The Panthers are 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the GSAC. Piedmont is tied with Maryville atop the GSAC standings with a 6-1 conference mark and 12-6 overall.

THE SERIES -  

Overall: Piedmont leads 16-1
at Piedmont: Piedmont leads 7-0
at LaGrange: Piedmont leads 7-1

at Neutral: Piedmont lead 2-0
Last Season: Piedmont 68-36 at LaGrange and 77-65 at Piedmont.

This Season: Piedmont 71-62 at LaGrange
Last LaGrange Win: 83-70 at LaGrange on 2/13/02
Piedmont has won 11 in a row.

THE COACHES

LaGrange's Kelly Britsky is in her eighth season as the Panthers' women's head coach. She has a career record of 78-122. Britsky guided the Panthers to a 17-11 record during the 2001-2002 season that included a trip to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Tournament.

Britsky played volleyball and softball for the Panthers while earning a degree in History in 1993 and a Masters in Education in 1999. She stayed on as an assistant coach in 1994 when the Panther softball team won a national championship. She left LaGrange for three years to coach basketball, softball, and track at Perry High School in Perry, Ga. before returning in 1997.

Piedmont's Jamie Childs is in her second season as head coach. She is a Piedmont graduate and a four-year letterman in basketball for the Lady Lions. In her first season at Piedmont, Childs led the Lady Lions to an overall record of 20-7 and 11-3 in the GSAC. Childs was head coach at Middle Georgia College for two years prior to returning to Piedmont.

ABOUT THE LADY LIONS

After a 1-3 start, the Lady Lions have won 11 of their last 14 game. The Lady Lions' latest winning streak has come on the road. They defeated Wesleyan 85-56, Roanoke 73-67 in overtime and Hollins 87-33. Against Hollins, the Lady Lions led 6-5 then went on a 28-0 run to take control of the game. The Lady Lions extended their lead to 47-11 at halftime and led by as many as 56 points in the second half. Emily Woodward led three Lady Lions in double figures with a game-high 16 points including four three-pointers. Stephanie Rainwater tallied 15 points and a game-high six assists while Sheena Trimiar added 12 points. Mandy Beasley chipped in defensively with a game-high six steals and seven rebounds. Nikki Sosebee leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. She is fifth in the GSAC in scoring and rebounding. Kayla Duncan leads the GSAC in field goal percentage at .574, while Trimiar is second at .566. The Lady Lions have four of the top five free throw shooters in the GSAC. Sosebee is first at .795, followed by Beth Adcock at .778. Sara Lane (.750) and Trimiar (.725) are fourth and fifth respectively.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS

The Panthers fell behind 13-2 four minutes into the game Thursday at Atlanta Christian. After a time out, Valeree Williams started an 18-0 five minute blitz with a put back of a missed shot. On defense, the Panthers forced 10 turnovers during the run. Ebonie Johnson tied the game at 13 with a short jumper and Williams put the Panthers ahead to stay, 16-13, with a three-pointer. LaTessa Taylor finished the run with a layup off a turnover for a 20-13 lead. The Panthers led by as many as 19 on two occasions in the first half before taking a 42-26 lead at the break. In the second half, Atlanta Christian got as close as 14 on two occasions. The Panthers built their lead to 24 three times and Heather Power's free throw with a minute left gave them their biggest lead, 81-56. Lindsey Moore led the Panthers with 12 points. LaTessa Taylor leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She is eighth in the GSAC in both categories. Valeree Williams (.522) and Moore (.500) are fourth and fifth in the conference in field goal shooting.

FIRST MEETING

Piedmont used two scoring spurts to down the Panthers 71-62 at Mariotti Gym on Jan. 20. The Lady Lions outscored the Panthers 10-4 to end the first half with a 36-27 lead. Piedmont started the second half with a 9-2 spurt to put the game out of reach. Beth Adcock scored a game-high 22 points for Piedmont. Adcock's teammate, Sheena Trimiar, had 21 points. Valeree Williams and Lindsey Moore each had 14 points for the Panthers. Williams tied with teammate Jennifer Penston and Piedmont's Kayla Duncan for game honors with seven rebounds.

ODDS AND ENDS

 With six games left, the Panthers have surpassed last season's win total… The Panthers need two wins for their first winning season since 2003-04…The Panthers are the best in the GSAC in defending the three-point shot, opponents are making only 18.7 percent of their attempts…The Panthers are in a stretch of five road games in their final seven regular season games…The Panthers are 4-1 in road games this season…