AMERICUS, Ga. – Destiny McClendon scored a game-high 22 points, but Flagler College lost to No. 19 (WBCA Division II Top 25) Georgia Southwestern State University 73-65 in a Peach Belt Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday evening at The Storm Dome.
The Lady Hurricanes won their eighth game in a row and improved to 24-3. They advance to the semifinal round tomorrow and will face the winner of the University of North Georgia-Lander University game. Flagler's season ends with an 11-18 record. This was the closest 1-8 game in the history of the tournament.
Just like last Saturday's game at St. Augustine, the Saints gave the Lady 'Canes all they wanted and more. It wasn't until a 12-2 run early in the fourth quarter that Georgia Southwestern got some breathing room.
An Amuk Tong layup 14 seconds into the fourth quarter gave Flagler a 53-52 lead. Back-to-back three-pointers by Kayhla Adams and Lexi McCully sparked the 3-minute, 49-second run.
Sharale McCormick made consecutive buckets to cut the deficit to four (66-62) with just under four minutes to go, but the Saints couldn't get any closer.
McClendon made 6-of-9 from the field and made four of Flagler's 10 three-pointers. She also made 6-of-7 from the free throw line. As a team, the Saints made 7-of-11. McClendon grabbed a team-high five rebounds. McCormick added 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Dane Bertolina finished with seven points, eight assists, and four rebounds.
Leah Johnson came off the bench to record a double-double 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Lady 'Canes. McCully added 13 points and Ndidimaka Ndukwe tacked on 11 points. Kayla Langley supplied nine points and eight rebounds.