COLUMBUS, Ga. – With just seven seconds left to go,
Sadie Russell sank a three-pointer from the top of the key and Flagler College defeated Columbus State University 71-69 in a Peach Belt Conference women's basketball game Wednesday evening at the Frank G. Lumpkin, Jr. Center.
Flagler improved to 8-5 overall and 2-1 in the Peach Belt. Columbus State dropped to 7-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
"Columbus State did a great job with its pressure and forced us into a lot of turnovers," said head coach
Mo Smith. "I thought we played solid on both ends of the floor. I'm really proud of the ladies and how they continued to fight and make big plays at the end of the game."
Olana Rawls made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to give the Lady Cougars the lead. As the Saints crossed mid-court, an entry pass into the post was deflected and
Marta Franco collected the loose ball. Her pass to Russell at the top of the key set up the game-winning shot. A couple Columbus State defenders came over to guard Russell, who was looking to
Jaziana Mathis. She was setting up to Russell's left behind the three-point line. Russell faked the pass, which forced the defenders to go towards Mathis. Russell calmly hit the jumper.
Russell finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and had two blocked shots. That three-pointer was her only make on two attempts.
Tori Pearce dabbled with a triple-double as she had game-highs in points (19), rebounds (13), and assists (8). She added three blocks and two steals to her line. Mathis and
Sharale McCormick each contributed 13 points. McCormick also had season-highs with six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Emilia Tenbrock scored a team-high 18 points and had four steals for Columbus State. Amber Abusbeih added 17 points, five assists, and five steals. Rawls finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Imani Arnold came off the bench to score 11 points.
Flagler hosts USC Aiken on Saturday (Jan. 8) at 1:30 p.m. at Flagler Gymnasium.
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