Fourth Quarter Dooms Golden Tigers Basketball in Season Opener

Lawrenceville, Georgia- The Brenau basketball team struggled in the fourth quarter to fall to Georgia Gwinnett College 73-49 in the 2025 season opener on Thursday.

In the first quarter, the Golden Tigers jumped out to an early lead on two quick baskets from senior guard Anna Gliatta. The squads battled to a 13-13 tie until the 3:36 minute mark when the host Grizzlies went on a 13-2 run to increase their lead to 26-15.

The Golden Tigers struggled to find their rhythm in the second quarter as the Grizzlies extended the lead to 39-24 at the 1:51 mark. Senior guard Alana Veiga hit a layup and junior guard S.G. Bertolini added a free throw to narrow the deficit to 43-27 at the half. 

After intermission, the Brenau offense finally found its stride as junior guard Kristina Peach scored six points in the period, and freshman post Mariya Shields added five points to help the squad outscore Georgia Gwinnett 15-11 in the period. The defense also picked up the pace by holding the Grizzlies to 21% shooting to cut the deficit to 11 points.

In the fourth quarter, Georgia Gwinnett shot a blistering 60% from the floor to extend the lead and earn the victory.

Gliatta and Peach led the Golden Tigers with 12 points each, while Bertolini added 8 points. Shield posted 5 points and 5 rebounds in her first collegiate game.

Georgia Gwinnett's Jamya Griffin led all scorers with 21 points.

Brenau (0-1 overall, 0-0 AAC) opens conference play on Saturday as the squad travels to Reinhardt (Ga.) University (0-0 overall, 0-0 AAC) for a 1 pm tipoff.