J'Lisia Ogburn Records Second Career Double-Double as Georgia Southern Falls to Davidson
1/10/2009 5:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. ? With the score tied 26-all at halftime, Davidson went on a 15-6 run over the last four minutes to capture a 65-54 win over Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10) at Belk Arena. J'Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) posted her third career double-double as she lead the Eagles with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Georgia Southern dropped to 9-7, 4-3, while Davidson remained undefeated in Southern Conference action, 7-0, and improved to 8-8 overall.
Davidson grabbed its first lead of the game in the opening stanza, 6-2, off a field goal from Monica Laune at the 15:00 minute mark. Laune’s jumper would spur a 5-0 run, giving the Wildcats an 11-4 lead before Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) visited the charity stripe, hitting one of two. Brittney Nelson (Rochester, Mich.) then nailed a three with 12:31 left to close the gap to within three, 11-8.
The Wildcats’ biggest lead stood at six, 17-11, with 8:19 left. The Lady Eagles slowly chipped away at their deficit and tied the game with just over two minutes of play, 23-23, off back-to-back field goals from Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Ogburn, respectively.
The Wildcats responded with a Mercedes Robinson field goal and foul shot to regain the lead 26-23. Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) stole a possession and was fouled by Julia Paquette with 1:25 left in the first half, sending her to the free throw line. Navarro connected on both from the charity stripe, cutting the lead back down to one, 26-25. Ogburn went to the line, shooting one-and-one, after she was fouled by Kristen Johnsen with 1:12 left. Ogburn tied the game and forced both teams to head to the locker room at halftime with 26 points, leaving the decision of the game to the second half.
The Lady Eagles shot 28 percent in the opening stanza compared to Davidson’s 42 percent. Davidson committed 10 team fouls as Georgia Southern went 6-of-11 from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes; Davidson went to the free throw line twice.
Ogburn led the Eagles in the first half with eight points and tied with Geiger with a team-high four rebounds apiece. Paquette led the Wildcats at half with nine points, while Mandy Halbersleben pulled down seven rebounds.
Both teams came out firing from the halftime break. It was a back-and-forth battle for the majority of the final 20 minutes as Georgia Southern took the lead three times and tied the game three times. Paquette sparked the Wildcats to open the second half and scored their first six points, giving Davidson a 32-28 margin.
Davidson used a 15-6 run late in the second half to break away from Georgia Southern. A three-pointer from Ashley Lax with 3:49 left sparked the Wildcats and widened their lead to five points, 53-48. Davidson continued to extend its lead thereafter to secure a 65-54 win.
Davidson shot 47 percent from the floor to Georgia Southern’s 29 percent. The Lady Eagles committed only five turnovers in the game, the first time they committed less than 10 since February 2008. Georgia Southern was led by Ogburn who contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, earning her second double-double of the season and third in her career.
The Wildcats were led by Paquette who contributed 20 points to the winning effort. She was followed by Lax who ended the game with 17 points, all coming in the second half. Robinson pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and poured in 11 points, extending her double-double streak to five consecutive games.
“It was a good ballgame on both ends of the floor,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “The last four minutes we hung back while Davidson’s key players hit the shots. That made the ballgame, the last four minutes.”
The Lady Eagles continue conference play next at home versus Wofford Monday, January 12. Tip-off in Hanner Fieldhouse is slated for a 7 pm start.
