Lady Bucs Knock Off Undefeated #2 Chipola

AMERICUS, Ga. - For three quarters, two of the heavyweights in women's junior college basketball battled on even terms.

Then in the fourth quarter, the Shelton State Community College women's basketball team delivered the knockout punch.

The No. 11 Shelton State handed No. 2 Chipola its first loss of the season with a 72-57 win at the Lady Jets Holiday Classic hosted by South Georgia Tech.

"There's always a lot on the line when we play Chipola," head coach Madonna Thompson said. "They are well coached and loaded with talent."

It marked the Lady Bucs highest ranked win since knocking off No. 1 Eastern Florida State 60-44 on Jan. 1, 2023 at the Lady Jets Holiday Classic.

The Lady Bucs (12-2) scored the first 10 points and outscored the Lady Indians 28-13 in the fourth quarter for their seventh straight win.

Chipola (14-1) suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday and was held to its lowest point total of year. 

The Lady Indians entered the game as the fourth-best scoring team in the nation (86.9 ppg), but were held to almost 30 below its season average.

"Collin (assistant coach Hardy) did a great job on our scout," Thompson said. "He prepared and presented the information about individual strengths/weaknesses and team tendencies."

Chipola is 19-2 in its last 21 games dating back to last season, with both losses coming to Shelton State. The Lady Bucs beat the Lady Indians in the 2024 NJCAA Elite Eight. 

Shelton State opened the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 54-44 lead. 

Freshman Aryah Grace (Meridian, Miss.) hit a pair of free throws to give the Lady Bucs the lead for good. 

Sophomore Arissa Jenkins (Haines City, Fla.) scored the next six points to stretch the lead to 52-44. Jenkins buried a three-pointer from the left corner and added a lay-up and free throw on the next possession. 

Jenkins finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. It was her third-double digit game of the season. She scored nine of those points in the fourth quarter. 

"We were looking for a spark from someone and Arissa provided it," Thompson said. "She came off the bench and made plays that needed to be made. Her performance was impressive."

Freshman Nadia Norfleet (Tupelo, Miss.) followed with a steal and lay-up to cap the run.

Norfleet finished with 17 points (5-for-10 FG), three assists, two rebounds and one steal. 

She has scored double figures (53 points) in all four games against Top 20 teams this year. 

The Bucs stretched the lead to 67-50 in the fourth quarter before closing out the win. 

Sophomore Alana Obianozie (Madison) recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds against the nation's top rebounding team.

She has 49 points and 26 rebounds in her last three games. 

Freshman Haley Trotter (Chelsea) finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. She has 41 rebounds in her last six games. 

"Rebounding is about toughness," Thompson added. "It was a challenge and the team accepted it."

Shelton State led 27-26 at halftime as freshman Katlyn Gipson (Hoover)  buried a three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired.

It was the first time Chipola trailed at halftime all season. 

The first two quarters were filled with runs by both teams. 

The Lady Bucs scored eight straight points to take an 8-2 lead in the first quarter. The Lady Indians answered with a 9-2 run to grab an 11-10 lead. Shelton State led 13-11 after the first quarter. 

The Lady Bucs scored the first five points of the second quarter to take an 18-13 lead. Chipola used an 11-2 run to grab a 24-20, before the Lady Bucs scored seven points in the final minute to take the lead at halftime. 

Shelton State closes out the three-day tournament with a New Year's Eve matinee against Eastern Florida State at Noon (CT).