#11 Chipola finishes Lady Jets Holiday Classic with 84-75 over the host team

AMERICUS, Georgia – Facing their third opponent on the road in three days, the #11 Lady Indians got high-scoring performances from a pair of their sophomore leaders to take out South Georgia Tech for the second time in less than two weeks.

Kanija Daniel matched her career-high 31 points she scored against the Lady Jets back on December 19, to lead all scorers in Chipola's 84-75 win on the final day of the Lady Jets Holiday Classic. Mekhila Brown picked up her second double-double of the season, third of her career, by hauling in 10 rebounds and scoring a career-high 25 points.

First Quarter Big Performance

After falling 81-74 at The Milt on December 19 to Chipola, the Lady Jets looked to exact revenge and put a blemish on the Lady Indians' undefeated record.

South Georgia Tech led 11-10 at the first media timeout with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter and would lead by as many as 6.

With Daniel, Chipola's leading scorer this season, spending much of the first quarter on the bench due to an injury, the Lady Indians needed someone to step up. Brown filled that void by putting up 14 of her team's 21 points in the first ten minutes.

The Lady Jets, however, were able to maintain a one-point lead despite Chipola closing the quarter on a 9-4 run.

Second Quarter Big Performance

Daniel returned in the second quarter and quickly made her presence known. Three consecutive shots from beyond arc and three from the charity stripe, all scored by Daniel, allowed Chipola to build a 33-26 lead halfway through the second quarter.

Following a timeout by the Lady Jets, they responded with a 5-0 run that was broken up by a McKenna Minter layup.

With 1:46 left before halftime, South Georgia Tech tied the game at 37 but an old-fashioned three-point play from Daniel put Chipola back in the lead. The Lady Indians never trailed in the game again.

Daniel scored 19 of her 21 first-half points in the second quarter and Chipola went to the locker room with a 45-41 lead. Brown finished the first half with 16 points.

Twenty minutes 'til 2025

Daniel and Brown's dominance would continue in the third period. The pair scored Chipola's first 11 points of the second half to put their team out front 56-47 with under four minutes left in the third quarter.

Chipola pushed its lead out to 13 on a pair of free throws by Serena Heeren, who finished the game with ten points, the freshman's fourth double-digit output of the season.

The Lady Indians carried a 65-54 lead into the final period and although South Georgia Tech outscored Chipola in the fourth, they would not get any closer than seven points.

Daniel and Brown continued to add to their tally with seven points between them. Arielle Facyson, Jailynn Brill, and Heeren each contributed four points in the quarter and Chipola took out the host team to go 3-0 in the Lady Jets Holiday Classic and 17-0 heading into the new year.

Final non-conference game up next

On January 6, Chipola will look to finish the non-conference portion of the schedule undefeated against Enterprise State. The Lady Indians defeated the Lady Weevils, 71-25, in Enterprise on December 9. Chipola and Enterprise will tip at 6 PM on Monday at The Milt.

Notes

• Also on Monday, the newest NJCAA Rankings will be released and the Lady Indians should break into the top ten. Due to the Christmas break, there has not been a poll since December 16. The Lady Indians have won five games since the last poll and a pair of teams in the top ten have lost. #8 College of Southern Idaho lost on December 17 to Central Arizona College, 60-54, and Chipola defeated #9 Shelton State earlier this week, 57-53.
• Chipola is one of five undefeated teams remaining in NJCAA Division One Women's Basketball. The top three teams in the NJCAA Rankings, Hutchinson Community College, Northwest Florida State, & New Mexico Junior College along with #10 McLennan Community College make up the remaining teams without a loss. Chipola's 17 wins are the most in the country.
• Along with their 17-game overall win streak, the Lady Indians have won 21 consecutive non-conference games and also have a ten-game win streak inside The Milt. Over the last two seasons, Chipola is 18-1 at home.
• Chipola is number one in NJCAA D1 Women's Basketball in the following statistical categories: Wins (17); Total points (1459); Free throws made per game (19.8); Free throws attempted per game (28.0); Defensive rebounds per game (37.6); and Total rebounds per game (57.1).