Panthers down Spelman to end losing streak
Feb. 7, 2008

ATLANTA, Ga. - LaGrange College snapped a four-game losing streak with a 75-57 win over Spelman in a GSAC game Thursday night. The Panthers improved to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in conference play. The host Jaguars dropped to 5-15 overall and 1-8 in conference play.

Jessica Barba led LaGrange with a game-high double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jennifer Penston added 15 points, while Jessica Boler had 10. Oluremi Onifade had 17 points to lead Spelman. Ashley Covington, the GSAC's leading scorer, had 16 points.

Covington scored the game's first basket to give the Jaguars their only lead of the game. The Panthers started pulling away after the first 10 minutes of the game. Leading 14-13, the Panthers ran off seven straight points. Melissa Mora started the run with a 3-pointer, followed by a jumper by Ashley DeFreitas and two free throws from Penston.

Mora's second trey gave LaGrange its largest lead of the half, 29-15, with 2:18 left. The Panthers took a 31-19 lead into halftime. They shot only 34.6 percent from the floor in the half, but held the Jaguars to 22.9 percent shooting.

The Panthers put the game out of reach to start the second half. They scored the first seven points of the half to go up 38-19. Boler's basket with 14:01 left gave the Panthers their largest lead of the game, 48-25. The Jaguars never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way.

LaGrange shot 55.2 percent in the second half. The Panthers were 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the second half and finished the game 21-of-26. The Panthers enjoyed a 51-31 advantage on the boards. The Panthers came into the game ranked fifth in Division III in rebounding margin.

The Panthers travel to Maryville on Saturday for a GSAC game. Maryville downed the Panthers 67-59 at Mariotti Gym on Jan. 19.