#11 Lady Indians outduel #9 Shelton State, 57-53

AMERICUS, Georgia – The highly-anticipated matchup between two of the NJCAA's top teams delivered on the opening day of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic on the campus of South Georgia Technical College. In the end, it was the #11 Lady Indians who made the big shots down the stretch to take down #9 Shelton State Community College, 57-53.

Difference Maker #1: Charity stripe in the first half

The Lady Bucs were given opportunity after opportunity at the free throw line in the first half. While Chipola only managed to get to the line six times in the first twenty minutes, the Lady Bucs had fourteen shots from the charity stripe.

Shelton State was unable to take advantage of the disparity as they only connected on six attempts (42.9%). Meanwhile, Chipola took advantage of their limited chances by sinking five shots from the line (83.3%).

Chipola managed to hold Shelton State to 27.6% from the floor while connecting on 11-of-31 field goals (35.5%) in the first half to hold a 29-23 lead at the break.

Difference Maker #2: Kanija Daniel & Aniyah Ruddock

Chipola's sophomore guard combo of Kanija Daniel and Aniyah Ruddock combined for 31 of the Lady Indians' 57 points in the win.

Ruddock's eight-point output in the second quarter helped push Chipola out front in the early going. With the score tied at 20 and under four minutes left in the first half, Chipola used a 7-0 run led by Ruddock to push out front. Up until that point, neither team had led by more than three points.

In the third quarter, the Lady Bucs fought back and managed to take the lead courtesy of a 7-0 run of their own. Ruddock hit Chipola's only three in the second half to stymie Shelton State's push.

Although she only scored one basket in the final ten minutes, Ruddock finished the game with 15 points.

After scoring eight in the first half, Daniel was held to just a pair of made free throws in the third quarter. Chipola's leading scorer this season was held without a field goal in the second half until there was 8 seconds left on the clock and the score tied, 53-53. Daniel's step-back jumper from on top of the three-point line banked in as she was knocked to the floor. Although the and-one opportunity was missed, Ruddock rebounded the ball and got it back out to Daniel, who was fouled with 5.5 seconds remaining. Daniel sank both shots to put the game out of reach and give Chipola the 57-53 win.

Difference Maker #3: Depth

All season long, the Chipola bench has played a crucial part in getting out to a hot start in the 2024-2025 season. With head coach Mitch Rolls substituting players in and out of games regardless of the score, the Lady Indians have established a depth rarely seen in women's junior college basketball.

Injuries to players who have made the most starts this season also contributed to the depth this season. Daniel (11 starts) and Jailynn Brill (8 starts) have missed a combined eight games this season. In all, eleven of Chipola's 14 players have started a game this season.

With the score tied 42-42 at the start of the fourth quarter, Shelton scored the first five points to take a 47-42 lead. From that point, Chipola would close out the game by outscoring a worn-out Lady Bucs' squad, 15-6. All five starters from Shelton played more than 30 minutes in the game. In contrast, only Ruddock and Daniel played more than 30 minutes for Chipola.

The depth also showed in the final box score as well as Chipola's bench outscored Shelton State's bench, 12-3, led by Daniya McDonald's 9 points.

Game Notes

• In 12 of 13 games played this season, Kanija Daniel has scored in double figures. On Sunday, she also had 10 rebounds to go with her 16 points to tally her second consecutive double-double of the season.
• Jailynn Brill joined Daniel and Ruddock in double figures with ten points. It was the sophomore forward's second double digit output of the season.
• After making 15 three-point shots against Southern Union on December 18, Chipola has struggled from outside the arc. Against South Georgia Tech on December 19, Chipola hit just four triples and on Sunday against the Lady Bucs, the Lady Indians only connected on 3-of-14 from deep. Fortunately, Shelton State's three-point shooting percentage was worse as they connected on 4-of-24, 14.3%.

Next Up: Daytona State on Monday, December 30

Chipola will face a familiar opponent in the Lady Jets Holiday Classic in Americus, Georgia. The Lady Indians will take on Daytona State College (4-11) at 4 PM CST on Monday. This will be the third time the two teams have met this season with Chipola having won both games.

The Falcons picked up their fourth win of the season by taking down Northeast Mississippi Community College, 64-60, in their first game in Americus. After a slow start to the season, Daytona has won two of their last three games.

LIVESTREAM

Monday 4 PM CST: #11 Chipola vs. Daytona State