The Pirate women returned home after picking up two more road wins over the weekend in the "Visit Jackson County Tournament", held at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida. The two wins improve the Lady Pirates record to 4-0 on the season.
The Lady Pirates opened up with a commanding win over DME Academy on Friday. After trading baskets in the opening minutes, Pensacola State took control of the game and were up 28-8 at the end of the first period. By halftime, the Pirates lead the DME squad 50-14. The lead continued to grow as the Lady Pirates would eventually claim a 90-24 win.
Gabriela Bendeck-Giron picked up where she left off a week ago, scoring a game-high 29 points on 11-19 shooting from the floor. Jaida McDonald recorded the Pirate's second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Audreonia Benson added 16 points to go along with seven steals while Tanita Swift chipped in 10 points.
The Lady Pirates faced NJCAA 10th ranked Shelton State on Saturday. Shelton State scored the game's first basket to initiate the back-and-forth action. A midrange basket from Audreonia Benson gave Pensacola State a 10-8 advantage at the 4:03 mark and they never looked back. The Lady Pirates led 18-13 at the end of the first period of play. The Pensacola lead would be extended to as many as 17 before heading into the halftime break with a 35-22 advantage. Shelton State would fight back in the third quarter outscoring the Lady Pirates 18-11 in the period. The Lady Buccaneers were able to cut the lead to just 43-40 before a Benson three gave the Lady Pirates a 46-40 edge to end the period.
Action in the final period of play was just as intense as the prior stanza. Shelton State battled but Pensacola State would not relinquish the lead, pulling out the 58-52 upset victory.
Tanita Swift was the game's leading scorer with 15 points to go along with four steals. Jaida McDonald added another strong performance with 14 points and nine rebounds. Benson and Reina Green contributed 12 and 10 points, respectfully.
Shelton State was led in scoring with 14 points from Kaleah Taylor. Adriana Jones added 11 points and Lameria Thomas chipped in 10.
"We've put two good weekends together and have beaten programs that are ranked in the top 10 nationally. I think this is the first time that we've beaten two ranked opponents in back-to-back weekends." Head Coach Clenita Belford explained. "We have a tough group and hopefully we will continue to put in the work to improve and reach our goals." Belford added.
The Lady Pirates will open up their home schedule as they host East Georgia State College on November 17th at 3:30 pm.