Strong Third Quarter Pushes Golden Tigers Past TWU 70-64

Gainesville, Georgia- The Brenau basketball team used a strong third quarter to roll past Tennessee Wesleyan 70-64 in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday.

After storming out to an early 23-16 first quarter lead, the visiting Bulldogs rallied with an 18-14 second quarter to cut the Brenau lead to 37-34 at intermission. 

The third quarter proved to be the difference as senior guard Anna Gliatta found junior SG Bertolini for a corner three pointer to increase the Brenau lead to 45-39. On the ensuing possession, Gliatta stole a pass and found junior Kristina Peach for another transition three-pointer for a 48-39 lead. After a Tennessee Wesleyan timeout, the Golden Tigers sustained the momentum with another Gliatta steal, who kicked ahead to Peach, who assisted on another Bertolini three-pointer to give the team a 51-39 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, Tennessee Wesleyan began to push toward taking the lead, but the Golden Tigers answered as sophomore guard Ashanti Bowers hit a running jumper to keep the lead at 9. Brenau went cold for almost 4 minutes of play and the visitors cut the lead to only 4, until Bertolini found senior guard Emelia Askew for a corner three-pointer to increase the Brenau lead back to 62-55.

After trading baskets down the stretch, the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 67-64 with 29 seconds remaining, however, Bertolini iced the game with two free throws to help her squad take the victory.

The Golden Tigers led the entire game after the first minute of play and led by as many as 12.

Peach led all scorers with 19 points, while Bertolini posted 12 points and 7 assists. Sophomore post Jael Flinn added 10 points and 8 rebounds. 

Sloan Carpenter lead Tennessee Wesleyan (4-5 overall, 3-4 AAC)  with 15 points. 

Brenau (5-7 overall, 1-5 AAC) next hosts Voorhees (SC) College (3-6 overall) in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.