West Georgia defeats E Kentucky 88-76
E Kentucky Outlasts West Georgia in Thrilling Conference Showdown
The East Kentucky Colonels (AWAY) traveled to The Coliseum, the home venue of the West Georgia Wolves, on January 3rd, and left with an 88-76 victory in a hard-fought conference matchup. Despite trailing by four points at halftime, West Georgia staged an impressive comeback to erase the deficit and secure the win.
The first half saw both teams struggling from beyond the arc, but E Kentucky's Juan Cranford Jr. led the Colonels' offense with 10 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range (58.3%). Meanwhile, West Georgia's Shelton Williams-Dryden paced the Wolves with 14 points, including two made threes.
At halftime, the score was tied at 33-33, and both teams looked evenly matched. However, it was West Georgia that began to assert its dominance in the second half. The home crowd energized the team as they took control of the game. Williams-Dryden continued his strong performance with 18 points in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
E Kentucky struggled to keep pace, and by the end of the third quarter, West Georgia had built a nine-point lead. The Colonels managed to cut the deficit to just three points at one point but ultimately trailed by as many as 12 points late in the game.
In contrast, E Kentucky's Turner Buttry led the team's offense with four assists and six points, while Jalen Cooper chipped in seven rebounds and 12 points off the bench. Despite a strong performance from both teams, West Georgia's balanced attack ultimately proved decisive.
The final margin of 12 points reflected the depth of each team's talent, but it was West Georgia that demonstrated its ability to overcome adversity. Williams-Dryden's 32-point outing led all scorers and set a new career high for the Wolves' sophomore forward. The win marked the first of the season for E Kentucky, while West Georgia improved to 12-6 overall.
The Colonels now head back to the road, looking to build momentum in their conference schedule. Meanwhile, West Georgia returns home on Saturday to face off against another SEC opponent.