Lady Bulldogs Get Big Effort from Buckhanon in Victory Over Philander Smith
Maya Buckhanon has a huge final three quarters in an important GCAC win.
NASHVILLE – Being the defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year brings attention. Maya Buckhanon struggled early but ended up with 27 points and 15 rebounds as the Fisk University Lady Bulldogs (5-6, 3-1 GCAC) defeated a tough Philander Smith University Lady Panther team 71-63 in GCAC play from Nashville.
First Quarter| PSU 20-17 Scott Keeps Lady Bulldogs in the Game
The Lady Panthers (9-4, 2-2 GCAC) deployed a plan to send multiple players to Buckhanon when she touched the ball. In the first quarter, the strategy worked as they held the Talladega, Alabama native to only two rebounds and took a 20-17 lead after one. Fellow post De'Lesia Scott picked up the slack in the quarter, scoring seven points.
Second Quarter| Fisk 37-32 JBs Lift Fisk to Halftime Lead
The Lady Bulldogs played well on both ends in the second quarter, outscoring PSU 20-12. Jayla Bibbs and Jordyn Bailey took over to give the Lady Bulldogs an advantage. Fisk took a 20-19 lead on a three-point basket by Laila Eliotti on an assist from Scott. PSU fought back and took their final lead of the game with 4:15 left in the quarter on a basket by Isis Isom.
Bibbs scored the following five Fisk points to give her team an advantage. To end the quarter, Bailey scored seven straight points to stretch the lead to 37-30.
"They had a plan and executed well," said Fisk Head Coach Victoria Crawford. "Dee kept us in the game early, and then JB and Jordyn took the initiative to finish the half. We have been waiting for others to step up, and teams will have to deal with others besides Maya."
Third Quarter| Fisk 53-45 Fisk Stretches Lead with Group Effort
After holding Philander to 12 points in the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs gave up 13 points in the third to stretch their advantage. Fisk was led by Buckhanon's nine points in the quarter but got huge contributions on both ends of the court from Bibbs, Zipporah Davis, and A'Niya Young.
Fourth Quarter| Fisk 71-63 Lady Bulldogs Start Fast, Then Hold on For the Win
Early in the quarter, Fisk went on a 6-2 run to take a 59-47 advantage. A Buckhanon basket with 5:57 left gave the Lady Bulldogs their largest advantage at 63-48. PSU chipped away and cut the lead to 67-60 on a basket by Dasia Turner. Isom's three with 48.5 seconds left made the score 69-63, but the Lady Panthers couldn't get any closer.
"They made it hard on me today, but I got a lot of help," said Buckhanon. "I liked how we made the necessary adjustments so others could contribute. Our coaches deserve much of the credit today because they made great changes in-game to help us win."
NEXT UP:
Fisk will travel to Alabama to take on Talladega University on Monday.