Pensacola, FL — Our PCC Lady Eagles secured a strong conference victory over Trinity College of Florida to move to 4-0 in conference play on the season. Jessica Boyd led the Lady Eagles with 24 points and added 7 rebounds.

Heading into tonight's contest, the Lady Eagles looked to get above .500 on the season. A victory over Trinity College of Florida would go a long way in helping the Lady Eagles secure a potential top-seed in February's South Region Tournament.

In the 1st quarter of the game, the Lady Eagles jumped out to an early lead, but were unable to maintain it. Trinity College of Florida was able to break through the Lady Eagles pressure defense on their way to taking a 10-9 lead with 3 minutes remaining in the quarter. Sister's Haley and Hannah Sailors helped the Lady Eagles to regain the lead. Seven quick points by the duo helped the Lady Eagles extend their lead to 10 points at the end of the 1st quarter.

The Lady Eagles had one goal as they moved into the 2nd quarter. Break the 3-2 zone that the visiting Tigers had employed in the 1st quarter. Despite their goal, the Lady Eagles were again befuddled by the Tigers zone defense. Behind their defensive effort, the Tigers again cut into the Lady Eagles lead. A field goal by Tigers guard Larissa Roker helped the Tigers the Lady Eagles lead to just 6 points.

Looking for an answer, the Lady Eagles turned to Marlee Moore and Lauren Battle. The pair scored 6 points at the end of the half to extend the Lady Eagles lead back to 10 points. At the break, the Lady Eagles led 33-23. In the first half, Joy Smith who added 7 points and 3 rebounds led the Lady Eagles. Lauren Battle led the team with 4 rebounds in the 1^st half. The Lady Eagles out-shot Trinity College 35% to 24% in the opening period and out-rebounded them 29-27.

Asked at the half about the 1st half, Head Coach Jared Sellars responded, "Lauren Battle did a great job of pushing the pace tonight. Her and Joy [Smith] helped us get going offensively. We played very well defensively. It was good to see our effort there in the 1st half lead to a 10-point advantage at halftime."

Moving into the 3rd quarter, the Lady Eagles looked to begin the process of securing their 4th consecutive conference victory. An early 11-5 run gave the Lady Eagles a 15 point advantage with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter. The team would stretch the lead to 16 points deep in the 3rd quarter behind Jessica Boyd's offensive performance. At the end of the 3rd, the Lady Eagles held a commanding 54-43 advantage over the Tigers.

In the 4th quarter, the Lady Eagles went on to stretch their lead to as many 23 points. Led by Jessica Boyd and myriad of other scores, the Lady Eagles placed a strangle hold on the lead. In the 4th, the Lady Eagles were able to get valuable minutes from reserves Claire Jordan, Marra McCauley, and Hannah Sailors. The Lady Eagles hung on and secured a dominant 78-55 victory over the Tigers.

After the game, Sellars was proud of his team's performance. "We played really well tonight. There are some things that we still need to work on, but tonight was a positive step in the right direction and hopefully a turning point for us. As a team, we play better when Joy [Smith] and Jess [Boyd] play well. Tonight, those two stepped up and were crucial in the victory."

The Lady Eagles shot just under 38% from the floor in the contest and out-rebounded the Tigers 63-45. Jessica Boyd tied her season high with 24 points, a mark she reached earlier in the year against Crowley's Ridge. Hannah Sailors came up huge for the Lady Eagles, adding 8 points and 10 rebounds in the ball game.

The Lady Eagles moved to 11-10 on the season and 4-0 in conference play with tonight's victory over Trinity College of Florida. The Lady Eagles will take on Judson College tomorrow night in the Arlin R. Horton Sports Center Arena at 5:30 p.m. The game will be televised on Facebook and our website.