The Pacers improved to an impressive 10-0 record in the USA South Conference as they defeated the Pride of Greensboro College (66-63). The first half of the game was a back-and-forth battle, with the Pride taking a late lead (32-28) into halftime. The Pacers would struggle a bit in the third quarter as the Pride pulled away to lead (52-43). Greensboro would continue to lead until late in the fourth quarter, when Mikayla Ray would tie the game (58-58) before giving WPU a (60-58) advantage. A shot from behind the arc by Jaymesha Sanders would seal the game for the Pacers as they closed it out (66-63).

THE BASICS

• Final score: William Peace University 66, Greensboro College 63
• Records: William Peace University (17-2) (10-0), Greensboro College (10-7) (7-3)
• Location: Greensboro, NC

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Pride would get the jump early in the first quarter as they quickly grabbed a (6-0) lead. Lauryn Cross would put the first points on the board for WPU with a 3-pointer as they trailed (6-3). Both teams continued to trade points, with Greensboro pulling away to lead (17-11). The Pacers would then go on a run near the end of the first, with Chrystal Jerome adding four points from the foul line and Sydney Austin tying it up (17-17) to head into the second quarter.
• Eva Holloway would give WPU their first lead of the game (19-17) with a drive under the net, but a shot from behind the arc by Greensboro's Ashley Free would give the advantage back to the Pride (20-19). The Pride continued to hold the edge as they led (27-21). Sydney Austin and Mikayla Ray would continue to put on the pressure as WPU trailed (32-28) heading into halftime.
• The third quarter would see the Pride begin to pull away as a few back-and-forth 3-pointers brought the score to (42-38) in favor of Greensboro. Sabria Joseph's 3-pointer would give the Pride a (47-39) lead. A jumper by Mikayla Ray and a layup by Sydney Austin would close the gap, but the Pacers would head into the fourth quarter trailing (52-43).
• A few early shots from the foul line by Jaymesha Sanders would give WPU some life as they trailed (54-45). Sydney Austin continued to roll for the Pacers as her two consecutive layups brought the score to (54-49) in favor of the Pride. A drive by Mikayla Ray would tie the game (58-58), which she would follow up with two points from the foul line to give WPU a (60-58) lead. Ray would drive under the net again to extend the lead to (62-58), with the Pride's shot from behind the arc closing the gap to just one point (62-61). Jaymesha Sanders would drain a 3 to give the Pacers a (65-61) lead as they closed the game (66-63).

PACER TOP PERFORMERS

• Lauryn Cross led the team with 18 points
• Mikayla Ray recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

FOR THE FOES

• Nichelle Jeffries led the Pride with 14 points.
• Diajah Hickson collected 8 rebounds.

STATS OF THE GAME

• The Pacers collected 52 rebounds in comparison to the Pride's 44.
• The Pacers shot at 33.3% from the field in comparison to the Pride's 34.3%.

NEXT GAME
The Pacers will travel to Pfeiffer University on January 29th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7PM.
 
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