PBC Tournament - Johnson and Chandler Aid USCA in 62-48 Quarterfinal Win

AIKEN, SC – Senior Morgan Johnson and junior Kendra Chandler keyed a second-half run that enabled third-seeded USC Aiken to claim a 62-48 win over sixth-seeded Georgia College & State University, Thursday evening (March 5) in the final quarterfinal game of the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Aiken, S.C.

USCA (21-10) advances to face second-seeded Clayton State University in Saturday’s second semifinal game at 4 p.m. GCSU ends its season at 17-11.

The Lady Pacers held GCSU to 36.4 percent shooting and a dismal 1-of-12 from behind the three-point arc. The Bobcats entered the contest as the PBC’s top three-point shooting team in terms of makes (192) and percent (35.0%).

Chandler led the Lady Pacers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Johnson added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Senior forward Tiauna Brantley paced GCSU with 19 points and six rebounds, while Antoinette Reames added nine points and eight rebounds.

With USCA holding a 38-32 lead, Johnson (8) and Chandler (7) combined for 15 points in a 19-5 Lady Pacer spurt that resulted in a 20-point margin (57-37) with 5:04 left. Altogether, USCA held GCSU without a made field goal for exactly six minutes.

During the final 20 minutes, USCA shot 61.1 percent from the floor, while holding the Bobcats to 7-of-20.

The first half was a nip-and-tuck affair that saw neither team lead by more than four points. USCA led 19-15 only to see GCSU counter with a 6-0 run to go up 21-19. During one five-minute span, Brantley scored 10 straight Bobcat points.

The Lady Pacers led 26-23 at halftime thanks to a long three-pointer by Meredith Legg with 1:12 left before intermission.

Boxscore

PBC Tournament – Game 8 - Georgia College vs. USC Aiken

Georgia College head coach John Carrick:
“I felt Aiken knocked down some shots. The first half was a battle back and forth. But in the second half, we missed a couple of shots and they made some shots. What was an eight-nine point game turned into a 15-16 point game.”

“We shot horribly and they shot it well. They put the ball in the hole and we didn’t.”

USC Aiken head coach Mike Brandt:
“We really made some good adjustments in the second half and played pretty hard throughout the game. I was very pleased in the second half. When you shoot the ball well, good things happen.”

“We had more cohesiveness as a team. We’re getting better right now, and this is the time to be playing your best basketball.”

On playing Clayton State in the Semifinals:
“They are a very good team. We didn’t play real well against them in the regular season, and a lot of that is their defensive pressure that took us out of our rhythm. But the players are excited and I am excited about it.”

Junior guard Kendra Chandler:
“We were pretty hyped at the beginning and it carried over to the court. At the start of the second half, we wanted to make a statement early.”