Nekolna Leads Lady Bucs to Victory in ACCC Opener

Bay Minette, AL- The Shelton State Lady Bucs opened ACCC play with a 75-36 win over the Coastal-Alabama South Coyotes.

Julie Nekolna once again paced the Lady Bucs with a 20-point, 10 rebound double-double. Freshman Brianna Adams posted a career-high of 14 points on 7-9 shooting and Arissa Jenkins finished the contest with 11. A'Iyonna Kimble and Makala Hobdy both pulled down 7 rebounds and Hobdy dished out 7 assists. Alana Obianozie finished the game with 6 steals and Lameria Thomas blocked 4 shots.

The 1^st quarter was all Nekolna as she outscored the Coyotes single-handedly in the first ten minutes of play (8-6). Makala Hobdy added a 3 as well as the Lady Bucs jumped out to an 18-6 lead. The 2^nd quarter started the shooting struggles for the Lady Bucs as they only outscored the Coyotes 18-12 in the quarter. Briana Adams scored her first 6 points in the quarter and A'Iyonna Kimble added 4. "We have to shoot the basketball better," said head coach Madonna Thompson. "We have to be able to space the floor better so that Julie can continue to score at a high level." The Lady Bucs were 3-20 from behind the arc.

The 3^rd quarter saw the Lady Bucs post 20 points, behind 6 from Nekolna and 4 from Arissa Jenkins. Brooklyn Phillps scored 5 of 11 in the quarter for the Coyote's. Brianna Adams took the game over in the 4^th quarter for the Lady Bucs, scoring 8 of their 18. The Coyotes were held to just 8 points in the final frame as Jenice Adjessom scored 4 of her team high 12 over the last ten minutes.

The Lady Bucs return to action on Saturday, January 11^th as they host Meridian at 2:00 PM.