#11 Lady Indians continue streak with third win over Daytona State

AMERICUS, Georgia – After a big win over #9 Shelton State that came down to the final ten seconds the day before, the #11 Lady Indians had to overcome an emotional letdown to take out the Falcons from Daytona State on day two of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic in Americus, Georgia. Chipola used a strong second quarter to come away with a 75-57 victory over the Falcons for the third time this season and improve to 16-0 on the season.

Next Up: South Georgia Tech on Tuesday, December 31 at 3 PM CST

Livestream: #11 Chipola vs. South Georgia Tech

The Lady Indians will face another opponent they faced earlier this season when they meet the host team in the final game of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic. Chipola defeated South Georgia Tech, 81-74, at The Milt on December 19.

This past weekend, the Lady Jets (9-4) won a pair of home games against FCSAA schools after falling to Chipola on the road. On Saturday, they took out St. Petersburg, 80-74, then needed overtime on Sunday against Eastern Florida to win, 71-62.

The Lady Jets will be playing their third game in four days, all at home, while Chipola will be playing for the third consecutive day on the road.

Second Quarter propels Lady Indians to win

Three minutes had come off the game clock before Chipola put points on the board in their third meeting of the season with the Falcons. A pair of three pointers pushed the Falcons out to an early 6-2 lead, their largest of the game.

With a little over four minutes left in the first period, Aniyah Ruddock, who finished the game with 14 points, gave the Lady Indians their first lead of the game, 11-9, on a 12-foot jumper. The Falcons would close out the quarter on a 7-3 run however, to hold a 16-14 lead after the first ten minutes.

In the second quarter, after Daytona added a free throw for a three-point lead, the Lady Indians caught fire. A minute and a half into the second period, Trinity Carmouche, putback a Chipola miss to give the Lady In

dians an 18-17 lead. Chipola did not trail the rest of the game.

A 19-5 run by the Lady Indians, which included a five-minute scoreless streak by the Falcons, gave Chipola the cushion it needed. Aniyah Ruddock and Arielle Facyson paced Chipola in the second quarter with 7 points each that helped give Chipola a 40-25 lead at the break.

Dominance by Daniel

Chipola added to their lead in the third quarter courtesy of 16 points by their leading scorer this season, Kanija Daniel. The sophomore guard scored all but six of the Lady Indians' third quarter points, including three triples that eliminated any thought of a comeback by the Falcons.

With a 16 point lead heading into the final period and another big game ahead on Tuesday, head coach Mitch Rolls was able to rest Daniel the final ten minutes. She finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. It was her sixth consecutive game with 16 or more points.

Adding to the depth

The fourth quarter lead allowed Coach Rolls to get his bench even more valuable playing time. Tyra Brown added four points and Mattea Henry hit on the only field goal she attempted.

Chipola's bench outscored its opponent, 22-16, with Arielle Facyson playing 33 minutes to score 11 points and Trinity Carmouche adding 5 points in 23 minutes of playing time.

The Lady Indians led by as many at 21 points halfway through the fourth quarter before taking the 75-57 win.

Game Notes

• Chipola's 16-0 start is the best start to the season since the 2016-2017 team began the year with the same record.
• Sophomore Mekhila Brown joined Daniel, Ruddock, and Facyson in double figures with 13 points. She was also a solid 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
• Although the Lady Indians have played 9 of 16 games away from home this season, they lead the country in free throws made per game (19.5) and attempted per game (27.4).
• Chipola outrebounded the Falcons, 57-39. The Lady Indians lead the country in rebounds per game with 57.3.
• The Lady Indians will need to keep their season-opening win streak for three more games to match the 19-0 start produced by the 2014-2015 National Championship team.