Wild 1st half leads to Tigers loss

Georgetown and Cumberlands played one of the more exciting halves of basketball in recent memory on Saturday. Georgetown shot 63% in the first quarter and led Cumberlands, 30-19, after 1. Erin Toller scored 9 of her team-high 24 points in the quarter. Izzy Lamparty added 8, while Jalynn Landversicht scored 6. The Patriots used the quarter break to gather itself and send a resounding message back to the Tigers. Cumberlands started the quarter on a 24-4 run to surge into the lead and take a 51-43 lead into halftime. In the quarter, Georgetown shot just 5-12 from the field and committed 9 turnovers.

Early in the 3rd quarter, Cumberlands would take a 53-43 lead, but the Tigers countered with an 8-0 run to get back within 2 and force the Patriots to call for time. Out of that timeout, Cumberlands hit 1 of its 10 threes on the night to push its lead to 5. The Tigers deficit would remain 5 going into the 4th at 64-59, Cumberlands. Erin Toller quickly scored in the 4th to get the Tigers within 3, but the Patriots responded with another 3 to double their lead. Callie Jackson came on and hit consecutive shots to keep Georgetown within 5 early in the 4th. With the Tigers trailing 74-69 midway through the 4th, Madison Darnell connected inside and knocked down a 3, bringing the orange & black within 2 at 76-74 with just over 3 minutes left.

With 90 seconds to go, Georgetown had a shot at the tie, but an inside jumper from Izzy Lamparty rolled off. Cumberlands grabbed the rebound and nailed their 10th and final 3-pointer of the night, taking a 79-74 lead with just over 1 minute to go. Sophie Smith would score with 46 seconds left, getting GC within 3. Cumberlands again answered by getting a bucket with 19 seconds left, taking a 5 point lead and ending the Tigers hopes of picking up a crucial road win.

Erin Toller hit a 3 at the horn, ending her night with a team-high 24 points. Izzy Lamparty finished with 13 points, while Madison Darnell ended with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Callie Jackson was excellent off the bench. In 16 minutes, Jackson went 6-6 from the floor for 12 points, while adding 2 steals.

The Tigers return to Davis-Reid Alumni Gym next Thursday night against Tennessee Southern. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30pm ET.