On Friday the Lady Chargers travelled to Panama City, FL to take on the 8th-ranked Florida Southwestern State College Buccaneers in the Gulf Coast Classic. The Chargers fell behind by 16 about half way through the 1st quarter. The ladies were able to steady the ship for the remainder of the quarter to trail 12-26 at the end of one. The second quarter saw the Chargers playing well on both ends of the court and they were able to fight their way back to trail by only 5 at the break, 33-38.
However, the 3rd and 4th quarters belonged to the Bucs. They outscored the Chargers by 13 and 11 in the final two quarters of the contest to cruise to a 97-68 victory. The Chargers were led by Nijeria Jordan and Ja’Lyn Reese, each with 21 points. Reese also added a team-high 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block. In spite of the result, Head Coach Brandan Harrell was pleased with his team’s effort. “Florida Southwestern is a good team and well-coached. I thought we competed well until our lack of depth finally caught up with us. I am proud of our team for never quitting. We just have to keep working and get better.”
The loss drops the Lady Chargers record to 2-1 on the season. They return to action on Saturday against Vincennes University. Tip-off is at 1:00PM.