Toller, Darnell power Tigers into MSC Semifinals

Erin Toller and Madison Darnell combined for 41 points as Georgetown dominated 3rd-seed Pikeville, 80-69, to advance to the Mid-South Conference Semifinals.

Pikeville's only lead in the game was 2-0 as Georgetown led for over 36 minutes, building it as high as 19 in the 3rd quarter. Georgetown went on an 8-0 run in the opening quarter after the 1st Pikeville basket, forcing the Bears into a timeout. The momentum stayed with Georgetown as the lead kept growing in the 1st. The Tigers D held UPike to 4-12 shooting with 5 turnovers, giving GC a 20-9 lead after 1.

The Bears got offense going early in the 2nd. They hit their 1st 3 shots, but still trailed by 10 as Georgetown attacked a vulnerable Bears interior defense. The Tigers shot 7-11 in the quarter and just 1-1 from 3. 6 points each from Callie Jackson and Jalynn Landversicht kept things going the Tigers way. UPike finished the 2nd by missing 10 of its final 14 shots. Georgetown led 40-24 at the half.

While the Tigers struggled from the field in the 3rd (5-19), UPike shot 43% with 5 more turnovers, thus only shaving 3 points off the margin going to the 4th. In the final quarter, UPike again tried to claw back into the game but time was not on their side. The Bears twice got within 7 in the final minute but no closer as Georgetown went 11-11 from the line to seal the win.

Erin Toller scored 12 of her game-high 21 in the 4th. Madison Darnell finished with 20 points, while the Tigers got 15 from Jalynn Landversicht and 12 from Izzy Lamparty. Callie Jackson made hearty contributions off the bench again with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in just 15 minutes.

The Tigers will take on Shawnee State in the semifinals, after the Bears upset Thomas More in an earlier quarterfinal. The teams will take Saturday off before battling on Sunday at 3:30pm in Bowling Green.