Cuthbert, GA - South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets sophomore guard Alyssa Nieves from Tampa, FL, shattered two new school records Wednesday night in an impressive 109 – 67 victory over the Andrew College Lady Fighting Tigers in a Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) conference match-up. The Lady Jets also surpassed the record for the most points scored with 109 and freshman Anna McKendree drew four charging fouls to set the new school record for most charges.
Nieves led the Lady Jets with 41 points in only 27 minutes of playing time. She set the new school record for the most points scored in a single game and then she also set the Lady Jets new record for most three-pointers in a single game. She was 11 of 17. “She was in a zone,” said South Georgia Technical College Athletic Director and Lady Jets head coach James Frey. “She hit six of her seven three point shots in the first half and was leading the team in scoring with 25 points at the half. Andrew couldn’t stop her. We came out in the second half and she hit two more three’s, almost back-to-back. That’s when I thought, she just might break the school record.”
That might have been on Coach Frey’s mind but Alyssa Nieves was just focused on getting the win for her teammates and helping the team reach their ultimate goal of winning the GCAA conference title, the NJCAA Region XVII tournament, the District J game and then going back to the National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas for the second time in two years.
“I didn’t really know how many points I had until we got in the locker room at the end of the first half,” said Nieves. “I just knew I was shooting pretty well.” Nieves only stands 5’ 7” tall, but she is currently the leading scorer for the Lady Jets. She had 309 total points this season before the Andrew game. She is a 43.7 percent field goal shooter and is shooting 42.9 percent from the three-point line. She is also a 78.8 percent free throw shooter. She averages 14 points a game and has started 22 games for the Lady Jets so far this season.
After Nieves hit a basket to lift her over 40 points on the night, Coach Frey pulled her out. All of her teammates were quick to congratulate her on a great game.
“I am so proud of her for this accomplishment,” said Coach Frey. “She is a real go-getter. If you ask her to do something, she will give it her all. She has worked hard this season and it shows.” In addition to setting two new school records, Nieves has also been recognized as the GCAA Division I Player of the Week. She earned those honors January 21st, 2019. She averaged 17.5 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal for the Lady Jets that week.
Nieves’ teammates began to sense in the second-half that she might be able to set a new school record. They ran a couple of plays to give her the opportunity to score and she did not disappoint. She made five three-pointers early in the second half and added 16 points to her first half 25-point effort.
“We are so happy for her,” said teammate and sophomore forward Ricka Jackson, who has already signed a letter of intent to play at Texas Tech next season. “We wanted to help her get the opportunity to break the record.” Jackson had 10 points of her own in the match-up with Andrew College.
The South Georgia Technical College Lady Jets school record for the most points scored was previously held by Shontae McCall who scored 36 points on February 24th, 2012 in a game against Middle Georgia College. McCall was the GCAA Player of the Year in 2012 and the Lady Jets won the GCAA regular season title but lost in the NJCAA Region XVII tournament. That was former Lady Jets head coach Brandon Harrell’s last season at the helm of the SGTC women’s team.
TaQuandra Mike, a shooting guard from Savannah, Georgia, sank eight three-point baskets in the NJCAA Regional XVII Division I basketball tournament finals at Darton State College on March 1st, 2015 to capture the title of Most Three-Pointers in a single game. Shameekia Murray had previously held the title with seven in a December 7, 2013 win over Darton State College. Murray was a second team All-American at SGTC and Mike was an All-American Honorable Mention.
Nieves surpassed Mike’s record and added three more baskets in the match-up with Andrew to claim title to two new records in one game.
The previous high score for a single game for the Lady Jets was 106 and the most charges recorded in a single game previously was three. Anna McKendree, a freshman guard from Flowery Branch, GA, drew the four charges to come up with the new school record in that category.
The Lady Jets are currently ranked 23rd in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) standings with a 22 – 3 overall record. They were ranked as high as 16th this season. They are also 1st in the GCAA with an unbeaten 14 – 0 record. They are on a four-game winning streak. They will travel to Georgia Highlands on Saturday, February 10th, for a match-up with the second ranked Georgia Highlands women. That game starts at 2 p.m. and the men will follow at 4 p.m.
