CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — Jasmine Jones scored 26 points to lead West Georgia past Florida Gulf Coast 63-56 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Thursday night at The Coliseum. The Wolves used a decisive 22-point third quarter to build a lead and withstand a late Eagles surge. West Georgia improved to 11-5 overall. Florida Gulf Coast, which got 13 points from Nay Staton, fell to 8-8. Jones, a Carrollton native, keyed the victory for West Georgia. Sydne Tolbert added 12 points and five assists. Sinai Douglas led the Eagles with 11 points. A crowd of 693 watched the ASUN Conference matchup. West Georgia hosts Stetson on Saturday. Florida Gulf Coast travels to play Queens (N.C.) the same day.

CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — Jasmine Jones scored a game-high 26 points and West Georgia used a dominant third-quarter surge to overcome a halftime deficit and hold off a late Florida Gulf Coast rally for a 63-56 victory in an ASUN Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at The Coliseum. The Wolves, who entered the contest with a 91.4% probability to lose according to National Statistical’s ELO system, improved to 11-5 overall. The Eagles fell to .500 at 8-8. The game’s pivotal shift came immediately after halftime. Trailing 23-26 at the break, West Georgia erupted for 22 points in the third quarter while holding Florida Gulf Coast to just 11. Jones, who played 37 minutes, was the catalyst, hitting two of her five 3-pointers in the period. Her step-back three with 6:56 remaining gave the Wolves a 34-31 lead, part of a 13-2 run that turned a three-point deficit into a 41-33 advantage. West Georgia’s backcourt of Sydne Tolbert and Grace O’Gara provided critical support. Tolbert, a 5-foot-4 guard from Louisville, Kentucky, finished with 12 points and five assists, including a crucial 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer to extend the lead to 48-35. O’Gara, a 5-5 guard from Worcester, Massachusetts, added eight points and four assists, and her defensive pressure resulted in four steals. Florida Gulf Coast, which had won three of its last four conference games, refused to capitulate. The Eagles mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring the Wolves 22-15 in the final frame. A driving layup by Nay Staton cut the West Georgia lead to 53-52 with just over five minutes to play, capping a 17-5 Eagles run. Staton, a 6-foot forward from Jersey City, New Jersey, led Florida Gulf Coast with 13 points. Sinai Douglas, a 5-4 guard from Toledo, Ohio, added 11 points and four assists, and her playmaking fueled the late surge. Each time the Eagles drew close, however, Jones had an answer. After Staton’s layup made it a one-point game, Jones responded with a deep 3-pointer on the ensuing possession off an O’Gara assist to push the lead back to four. When Eve Alexander scored inside to make it 56-54 with 4:07 left, Jones again connected from beyond the arc, this time giving West Georgia a 59-56 cushion with 4:07 remaining. Florida Gulf Coast’s offense then went cold, failing to score over the final four minutes. The Eagles missed their final five field goal attempts and committed a critical shot-clock violation with 3:22 left while down three. West Georgia sealed the game at the free-throw line, with O’Gara making four consecutive foul shots in the final 30 seconds. The first half was a defensive struggle defined by turnovers and missed opportunities. Both teams combined for 22 turnovers before halftime. Florida Gulf Coast led 11-8 late in the first quarter before West Georgia closed the period on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Asia Donald 3-pointer at the buzzer, to take a 14-11 lead. The Eagles tightened their defense in the second quarter, holding the Wolves to 12 points. A 3-pointer by Karina Gordon and a layup from Anna Mortag in the final minute gave Florida Gulf Coast a 26-23 advantage at intermission, setting the stage for the Wolves’ decisive third-quarter response. For West Georgia, Destiny Jones provided a key spark off the bench with nine points. For Florida Gulf Coast, Alexander, a 6-foot forward from Opelousas, Louisiana, contributed seven points and two blocks in just 14 minutes of action. West Georgia shot from the floor, from 3-point range and from the free-throw line. Florida Gulf Coast shot from the floor, from 3-point range and from the free-throw line. The announced attendance was 693. West Georgia looks to build on the upset when it hosts Stetson on Saturday. Florida Gulf Coast aims to rebound quickly with a conference road game at Queens (N.C.) on Saturday.

CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — A surging West Georgia team looks to continue its strong start to ASUN Conference play when it hosts a Florida Gulf Coast squad riding its own winning streak on Thursday night at The Coliseum. The Wolves (10-5, 3-0 ASUN) have won three straight conference games by an average of 25.3 points, most recently a 74-59 victory over Jacksonville on Saturday. Guard Sydne Tolbert has been instrumental, averaging 20.7 points and 4.3 assists during the conference win streak. For the season, she averages 15.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. The visiting Eagles (8-7, 3-0) have also opened league play perfectly, winning four consecutive games overall. They are coming off a 63-42 road win at Lipscomb, powered by a 21-point, 8-rebound performance from forward Nay Staton. Staton has been a consistent force, averaging 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season and posting a double-double in a win over Central Arkansas on Jan. 3. This matchup features contrasting strengths. West Georgia boasts one of the conference’s top offenses, averaging 75.1 points per game and eclipsing 100 points twice this season. Florida Gulf Coast has found its success through defense, holding three of its four ASUN opponents under 55 points. West Georgia holds the overall record advantage, but Florida Gulf Coast has faced a tougher non-conference schedule, including games against powerhouses South Carolina and Stanford. The Eagles’ victory over then-Stanford on Nov. 28 stands as a season highlight. Thursday’s contest is the first meeting between the programs as ASUN rivals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST. West Georgia travels to face Stetson on Saturday, while Florida Gulf Coast visits Queens (N.C.) the same day.