AMERICUS, Ga. – For nearly 35 minutes Wednesday night inside the Storm Dome, Georgia Southwestern controlled the game.
In the final 90 seconds, it slipped away.
Despite leading for 34:58 and holding the University of South Carolina Aiken to 17 field goals, the Lady Hurricanes fell 57-55 in their 2025-26 home finale.
The loss marks four straight and seven of the last eight for GSW, which now sits in a three-way tie for last place in the Peach Belt Conference standings.
Hurricanes Set the Tone Early
GSW opened with urgency.
Behind interior play from
Shane' Jackson and
Ray'ven Robinson, the Lady Hurricanes built an 18-10 first-quarter lead and stretched the margin to 25-13 midway through the second quarter — their largest advantage of the night.
Jackson finished with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added five rebounds and two blocks in just 20 minutes. Robinson added 15 points and two steals, while
Janiya Johnson contributed 13 points and five steals.
The Hurricanes shot 47 percent in the opening quarter and carried a 31-24 lead into halftime.
Defense Delivers, But Offense Tightens
The defensive activity was there all night.
GSW forced 27 USCA turnovers and turned them into 25 points. The Lady Hurricanes recorded 14 steals — their fourth-highest total in a game this season — and limited the Pacers to just 3:33 with the lead all evening.
But offensively, the margins narrowed.
GSW went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc — the second time this season the Lady Hurricanes have attempted 10 or more three-pointers without a make. Field goal percentage dipped to 36.7 percent, and despite committing just 11 turnovers (second-lowest this season), the Hurricanes struggled to convert key possessions late.
Final Minutes Flip the Script
After Zenia Palaska's layup gave GSW a 53-51 lead with 1:55 remaining, USC Aiken responded with a three-point play to reclaim control.
Palaska, who led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and a perfect 7-of-7 at the free-throw line, answered again with a go-ahead basket to make it 55-53 with 49 seconds left.
USCA converted a pair of free throws with 13 seconds remaining, but Robinson answered with two free throws on the other end of the floor with nine seconds remaining to trim the margin to two, and after a pair of misses at the line by the Pacers with eight seconds remaining gave GSW a chance, the Hurricanes could not get a long heave at the buzzer to fall.
By the Numbers
- 34:58 – Time with the lead for GSW
- 14 – Steals by the Lady Hurricanes (fourth-most this season)
- 11 – Turnovers committed by GSW (second-lowest this season)
- 0-for-10 – From three-point range, second such game this season with 10+ attempts and no makes
- 28 – Total rebounds (tied for fourth-fewest in a game this season)
- 27 – USCA turnovers
- 4 – Consecutive losses for GSW
What It Means
Georgia Southwestern falls to 10-16 overall and 6-13 in Peach Belt Conference play, now tied in a three-way deadlock at the bottom of the standings.
The Lady Hurricanes will close out the season on Sunday afternoon at regular-season champion Columbus State.
