Gallery • 7 Photos

Zach Brien

DiMond Jackson, sophomore guard, struggles with Shantel Wells, Middle GA State freshman guard for one of her 8 rebounds in their game in the Den on Jan 4, 2016. The women topped Middle GA state 74-58.

The Wolf Pack women’s basketball team looked to extend their win streak to three games in a Monday night matchup against the Middle Georgia State Knights.

Both teams got off to a sluggish start in the first three minutes of the first quarter, with the score tied 5-5. The Pack eventually turned up the heat, outscoring the Knights 19-8 to end the first quarter.

The Pack continued their run, going up by as many as 15 at the beginning of the second quarter. However, the Knights would chip away at the lead, coming within four in the final minutes of the first half. The Pack led 35-29 at halftime.

The momentum favored the Pack at the beginning of the third quarter. The team begin to pull away early in the third and would eventually outscore the Knights 24 to seven in the period.

The Knights did not go away, however, as they tried to climb back into the ball game in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Pack 22 to 15 in the period. They also outrebounded the Pack 48-40 for the game but would eventually fall 74-58 in the Den.

Kellie Kennedy, head coach, would not only extend the win streak to three games but would make history in the process by tying Dobee Plaisance for most wins in program history (155). But even with the accomplishment, she says that her squad still has room to improve.

“We’ve gotta be more disciplined on the defensive end of the floor to not allow teams to get second and third opportunities. Giving up offensive rebounds and turning the ball over was our main problem,” Kennedy said.

The Pack gave up 19 offensive rebounds to the Knights and committed 23 turnovers for the game. Like Kennedy,  Junior Meghan Temple felt that the team had some lapses throughout the game.

“In the locker room, we mainly talked about how we needed to pick up our effort. I knew we were better than how we were playing so I knew I needed to pick the team up in the second half,” Temple said.

Temple scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the second half of Monday night’s win. Another big spark for the Pack was the play of sophomore Di’mond Jackson, who chipped in 11 points and a career-best eight rebounds off the bench.

“I had a bad game the last time so I knew I had to come out and try to give my team what they needed,” Jackson said.

Jackson had missed a handful of games early in the season due to a knee injury. Though she is not 100 percent, she feels that toughness is the key for the team going forward.

“Honestly, I’m not close to where I need to be but the key for our team is making sure we get tougher in these next few games,” Jackson said.

The Pack will hit the road for the next four games, starting with a matchup against Brewton-Parker on Thursday, Jan. 4.