Lady Jets split decisions in Tampa, FL games

TAMPA, FL – The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets lost their first game of the 2017 – 2018 season to Hillsborough Community College 88 – 82, but South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey said he was very proud of his team’s effort and he believes that it was a game where a lot of the freshmen grew up.
The Lady Jets are ranked 13th in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) standings and are now 5 – 1 on the season. They are 2 – 0 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association conference (GCAA) and tied for first place with rival Georgia Highlands College, who have an identical conference and overall record. These two teams are currently the only undefeated teams in the Division I women’s GCAA standings.
In addition to dropping the decision to Hillsborough Community College on Sunday, the Lady Jets were able to take a 64 – 55 victory over St. Petersburg College on Saturday in their Tampa, Florida trip.
“This was a good trip even though we lost the game to Hillsborough Community College,” said Coach Frey. “The girls never gave up. We got down 50 – 34 at the half, and were down by 30 at one point, but we came back in the fourth quarter and scored 32 points to close the gap to 88 – 82. We were within four points in the final minutes. I was extremely proud of the Lady Jets effort and I think this was a pivotal game for us.”
Sophomore forward Houlfat Mahouchiza from Nice, France led the Lady Jets in scoring with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the Hillsborough game. She was joined by sophomore guard Dakata Toney from Detroit, Michigan, who added 22 points. She was six of nine from the three-point line. Ricka Jackson, a freshman forward from Ewa Beach, HI, was the only other Lady Jet in double-digits. Jackson had a total of 12 points, 9 rebounds and three assists.
Freshman guard Aubry Maulden from St. Simons, added five points and four assists, sophomore forward Esther Adenike and sophomore Secret Ethridge had four points each. Freshman Alyssa Nieves contributed three points and then sophomore Kayla Holmes and freshman Fatou Pouye closed out the scoring with two points each.
In their first game in Tampa, FL, the Lady Jets took the lead early and came up with a 64 – 55 win over St. Petersburg College. Freshman guard Alyssa Nieves from Tampa, FL led the Lady Jets in that match-up scoring 21 points. She was five of eight from the three-point line, had six rebounds, two assists and three steals. She was the only Lady Jet in double-figures.
Sophomore forward Esther Adenike from Lagos, Nigeria, scored nine points and had 10 rebounds. Houlfat Mahouchiza, the sophomore forward from France, tossed in eight points and had seven rebounds, and then freshman Ricka Jackson and sophomore Dakata Toney both added seven points.
Sceret Ethridge contributed four points in that win while Bigue Sarr accounted for three points and Cedeja James and Aubry Mauldin both came away with two points. James had seven assists and one steal in addition to her two points. Fatou Pouye closed out the scoring with one point.
The Lady Jets will attempt to get back to their winning ways when they travel Swainsboro on Wednesday, November 22nd to face the East Georgia Lady Bobcats. East Georgia is 1-1 in the conference and 3-3 overall. That game starts at 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Jets will return home for the Lady Jets Thanksgiving Classic tournament on Saturday, November 25th and Sunday, November 26th. The Lady Jets will face Motlow State at 4 p.m. Saturday and Wallace State at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
South Georgia Tech will travel to Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida on November 29th and then return home for a conference game against Georgia Highlands College on Saturday, December 2nd at 1 p.m. The Jets and Lady Jets will both play at home on December 6th with the Lady Jets opening at 5:30 p.m. against Andrew College and the Jets taking on Tallahassee Community College at 7:30 p.m.