Middle Georgia State women defeat Clayton State 66-46 for ninth conference win

The Middle Georgia State Knights rode an explosive first quarter and some impressive passing to a 66-46 win over the Clayton State Lakers in Cochran Wednesday night, further cementing their spot in the top portion of the Peach Belt Conference standings in their first Division II season.

The Knights were without starting point guard Mireia “Mimi” Pou, a disadvantage that would hamper most teams — but most teams don’t have Mauryah Jones as their backup.

“Mauryah’s our backup. A lot of people probably look at me crazy because she’s so dynamic, but Mimi is kind of our sense of calm. She leads the Peach Belt in assists as a freshman, so she fits in well. But then Mauryah comes in and she’s kind of our spark plug,” Middle Georgia State head coach Steven Rhodes said. “For me, it was really cool to see some growth moments because she had to kind of wear both hats a little bit.”

Jones, a sophomore from Tennessee who has averaged more than 11 points per game this season, had 13 points in the first half alone and guided Middle Georgia State with poise from the point. She finished with 15 points and six assists to help the Knights improve to 16-7 overall and 9-7 in Peach Belt play, good for fifth in the conference standings.

Ellie Southards and Kristen Foglia rounded out the scoring effort for the Knights. Southards got hot from 3-point range despite having less than 30 attempts from beyond the arc coming into the game, knocking down 4-of-8 to score 12 points. Foglia also hit some deep shots and had a nice scoring stretch in the fourth quarter that led to a game-high 16 points.

“Ellie’s going into nursing school, and she’s had a week. She had to take the TEAS test on Monday,” Rhodes said, referring to an important academic exam required for nursing students. “She’s been doing all the studying for that while we’re on the road. To see her have a night and hit four threes was special to see.”

It was the fourth win in the last five games for Middle Georgia State. The Knights arecoming up on a crucial portion of the conference schedule that will be a key test. The fledgling Knights have proven a formidable foe in their first season at the Division II level and first season under Rhodes and want to continue that run.

“I talked to them going into February. I’m a teacher, so I had a big presentation about it,” Rhodes said. “I told them it was set up beautifully for us.”

The head coach explained how the Knights would play a very balanced schedule of teams ahead of them and behind them in the Peach Belt standings, including powerful programs like Columbus State and USC-Beaufort, the conference’s top two teams. Middle Georgia State took USC Beaufort to overtime on the road last week.

He said the team is taking that schedule one game at a time.

“I think they’re responding really well. Even our loss on Saturday, to play a close game on the road against a top team is great,” Rhodes said. “That’s one of the toughest road environments in the Peach Belt.”

The Knights played with fluidity in the first quarter, moving the ball well around the perimeter to produce opportunities. Southards and Foglia looked sharp from beyond the arc to fuel Middle Georgia State’s 4-of-7 performance from downtown in the opening quarter.

The offensive threats from the outside helped Middle Georgia State find success inside as well, with timely passes and drives from Jones opening things up. By the time the horn sounded to end the first quarter, the Knights had a 30-18 lead.

Things dried up a bit shooting-wise in the second period, but Middle Georgia State’s defense held Clayton State in check on the other end to keep the lead fairly comfortable. The Lakers came within 6 points with about two minutes left before halftime, but the Knights snuck in a pair of 3-pointers to snag a 40-29 edge at the break.

Jones finished the first half with 13 points and four assists. Southards scored 9, all on 3-pointers.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle, as neither team could get a bucket for the first several minutes of the period. It felt like the next team to score could grab the momentum, so when Southards and Foglia hit back-to-back shots from long range to suddenly score six points for the Knights in about a 40-second span, Middle Georgia State took control.

“We’ve hung our hat all year on defense, and I told our team at halftime that we played the worst half on defense that we played all year,” Rhodes said with a smile. “They definitely responded to that.”

The Knights kept the game in hand the rest of the way, keeping the points rolling in the fourth quarter for the 20-point victory.

Middle Georgia State is set to take on North Georgia in Dahlonega at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday before traveling to face Augusta University on Feb. 21.