HANCEVILLE – A new-look starting lineup yielded profitable results for the Wallace State Lady Lions in a 72-66 victory over Chattahoochee Valley Community College at Tom Drake Coliseum on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Hannah Vest, who nailed five 3-pointers, finished with 18 points for Wallace State, Morgan Higgins scored 15 in her first start in two months and Jasmine Hollis added 13 off the bench.
After a pair of tough conference losses earlier this week, Wallace State women’s coach Ron Burdette was glad to see his Lady Lions prevail.
Burdette penciled Higgins into the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 11, and Jemaiya Lee, a freshman from Spain Park, made her first career start. Burdette also shifted Vest, the lone sophomore on the team, from shooting guard to point guard.
“We decided to jumble things around a bit. Some players were beginning to get complacent or down on themselves. Hannah Vest played great at the point. She’s the most battle-tested on the team, and I thought she did a tremendous job distributing the ball and leading her teammates. I’m hoping that’s the spark that gives our team some confidence. Morgan Higgins has also had a killer week. She’s working hard and it’s paid huge dividends,” said Burdette, who led the Lady Lions to the NJCAA Division I national tournament last season.
Wallace State, which dipped out of ACCC North Division play on Saturday, posted a big fourth quarter to outlast the Lady Pirates.
The Lady Lions (7-13) led 53-51 after three quarters and after a 53-all tie early in the fourth, Wallace State put together a 10-1 run for a 63-54 advantage with 7:07 left in the game.
Velencia Johnson began the deciding surge with a layup, and Vest drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to push the Lady Lions’ cushion to 61-54 with 7:40 remaining. Higgins capped the run with a jumper in the lane at the 7:07 mark.
Hollis added a 3-pointer of her own with 3:30 to go, extending Wallace State’s advantage to 68-60.
Chattahoochee Valley (8-10) never threatened over the final three minutes.
Wallace State led 22-11 at the end of the first quarter — its biggest cushion of the game. The Lady Pirates rallied in the second quarter, tying the game at 39-all at the half.
For Wallace State, Lee finished with nine points, while Johnson and Janese Richardson each contributed seven points.
Bre Bussey led Chattahoochee Valley in the loss with 17 points.
Wallace State plays a non-conference game at Carver Bible (Ga.) College on Thursday. The Lady Lions return home on Jan. 25 to host rival Shelton State.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit http://athletics.wallacestate.edu/.
