TIFTON - Tied at 18-18 after one quarter of play against the Lady Toppers from Blue Mountain Christian Saturday afternoon, ABAC's Fillies thought they had successfully avoided the early offensive woes that have plagued them over the last few weeks.

But the visitors turned up the defensive heat in the second period, outscoring ABAC 31-6 en route to a 103-65 Southern States Athletic Conference win at Gressette Gym.

The Fillies matched the Lady Toppers in every category across the board in the first 10 minutes before the second-quarter slump. In that period, ABAC was 2 of 17 from the floor, missed all 5 3-point attempts, and were 2-of-6 from the free throw line.

'We both had 34 shots in the first half," said ABAC Coach Charles Wimberly. "But in the second quarter, we just couldn't put them down. We've got a young team and we're learning how to respond when that happens. We came back and got after them late in the game and I like that we didn't give up."

Meanwhile, Blue Mountain's offensive was consistent and, at times, explosive. The Lady Toppers shot 52 percent from the floor and drained 15 3-pointers. 

The Fillies led most of the first quarter as Malaja Dyous knocked down a jumper for a with two minutes left, followed by Zamiyah Holsey's 3-pointer on a pass from Emily Gamon. After a Shakiria Chaney free throw, BMC's Mia Jones scored inside at the buzzer for the 18-18 tie. But after it was tied at 20-20, the visitors went on a 21-2 run paced by 5-11 freshman McKenzie Williams's eight points. Blue Mountain cruised to a 49-24 halftime lead and stretched that lead throughout the second half.

Chaney once again led ABAC with 24 points and 8 rebounds while Dailey Jefferson added 18 points and 6 boards. The Lady Toppers had five players in double figures, led by Williams's 17 and Deja Prior with 16. 

Now 5-13 overall and 0-7 in the SSAC, the Fillies will be away from home for nearly a month, starting next Saturday with a trip to conference foe Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.