JACKSON, Tenn. – Facing its first ranked opponent of the season didn't seem to faze (18) Lady Argo basketball, as the team extended its program best start to 8-0 with an 81-68 win over (21) Talladega (Ala.). The game was the first of the 2016 Jackson Rotary Classic, a tournament that features 13 teams ranked in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
"It was a big win for us. It just shows the improvements we're making and the confidence that our girls have," UGF Head Coach Bill Himmelberg said. "We're a pretty experienced team now. Our girls have seen situations like this and we're used to playing in big games."
 
In the first three minutes of the game, UGF's defense picked the pocket of a Tornado player three times helping the Lady Argos get out to a 6-point lead. Talladega's offense soon found its composure, however, and led by the NAIA's points leader, Tajanee Wells, and two big 3-point shots from Deshanna Cook, the Tornadoes brought the score back within one point by the end of the first 10 minutes.
 
Neither team shot well in the second quarter, with both teams shooting 30 percent or lower from the field. Again, it was Wells carrying the offensive load for Talladega, and answering back for UGF was junior guard Molly Herron. Herron, who has come into her own offensively in 2016-17, hit two big shots from long range to account for almost half of the Lady Argo's 14 second quarter points.
 
While the first half was struggle for both teams offensively, the Lady Argos started to find a rhythm in the third quarter that Talladega never truly found. Balance was the key to the offense clicking, with six different Lady Argos scoring in the period and the team combining for a shooting percentage just under 50.
 
The efforts increased UGF's lead to six, but that was only the beginning of the end. As effective as the team's offense was in the third period, it was considerably better in the fourth. Three point shots from freshman Jenna Randich and redshirt-junior Kallee Wilson pushed the UGF lead to 12 with 6:40 remaining and from the senior Preseason All-American Nneka Nnadi finished the game from the free throw line.
 
The guard/forward scored 10 of her team leading 19 points in the final 10 minutes of play, including hitting 8 of 8 free throw attempts. Not only did the Lady Argos score 14 points from the charity stripe in the fourth, but the team also shot 75 percent from the field and went a perfect 3-3 from behind the line in the period.
 
"We came out in the second, jumped out right away and I thought really got after it a little bit," Himmelberg said. "It was nice to see our girls play composed and make baskets when we needed them."
 
While five Lady Argos scored in double-digits and the team's second half shooting was a major factor, UGF's 9th ranked defense nationally may have made the biggest difference. Talladega entered the game with the 4th highest scoring offense in the NAIA (810 total points) and the nation's leading scorer in Wells (225 points).
 
Wells scored just around her season average of 20 ppg with 19 against UGF, and center Jasmine Lee-Stackhouse also caused problems, scoring 19 points of her own. Even so, the two were not overly efficient combining for 15 made shots to 35 attempts, and no other Tornado player scored more than six points. That included Tasheba Henry, who entered the game 18th in the NAIA in total scoring (121) but only accounted for 6 points against UGF.
 
Not only did the Lady Argos keep the Tornadoes shooting percentages down, they also finished with 9 steals, almost half of which came from Nnadi. The senior finished with a stuffed stat sheet with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
 
Equally impressive was guard Stephanie McDonagh. While often given the task of guarding Wells, the junior still managed 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
 
Joining Nnadi and McDonagh in the double-digit scoring club was senior point guard Darah Huertas-Vining with 10 points to go with a team leading 6 assists, Herron with 11 points and 5 rebounds, and Wilson who scored 13 points in 14 minutes off the bench.
 
The win brings UGF's already record-setting start to 8-0 but the team will face its toughest test yet against (10) Bethel University (Tenn.) at 6 p.m. MT on November 26 for day 2 of the Jackson Rotary Classic.