Story Courtesy Western Carolina sports information
UNC Greensboro 69, Western Carolina 60
CULLOWHEE, NC - Bookended by a pair of two minute scoring droughts and subsequent double-digit runs by the visiting UNC Greensboro, the Spartans made 6-of-8 free throws inside the final 30 seconds to hand Western Carolina a 69-60 setback Wednesday afternoon in Southern Conference action.
Western Carolina (2-14, 2-5 SoCon) got off to a slow start as the Spartans raced out of the gates on an 11-0 run over the first two minutes of the game, capitalizing on two Lady Catamount turnovers and a pair of missed jumpers. Then, at the end of the contest, WCU sophomore Monique Dawson sank a pair of free throws to give Western a one-point, 60-59, lead with 2:22 remaining in regulation. Dawson's charity shots, though, would prove to be the Lady Cats final points as the Spartans ended much like they began, outscoring Western 10-0 down the stretch for the nine-point victory.
Dawson led the way for the Lady Catamounts, tallying her sixth-straight, double-digit scoring effort with 16 and a pair of steals. Freshman Lauren Powell, who has scored in double-figures in all but two of her career contests, added 14 points including a 4-of-8 showing from behind the 3-point arc.
Sophomore Chevon Keith chipped in eight points, including a 4-for-4 showing from the free throw line, with her classmate, Jessika Johnson, and junior Erin May each boarding a team-high seven rebounds. Guards Ashley Pellom and Teshymia Tillman each dished out three assists apiece.
After spotting the Spartans the 11-point advantage early in the first half, UNCG survived a 10-1 run by the Lady Catamounts which shrunk the deficit to two, 19-17, with 12:43 remaining until the break. The Spartans countered with a 9-2 spurt to push the advantage back to nine, 28-19, and would stretch their lead to as many as 12 just before the half. Western ended the first with six-unanswered points to trail by six at intermission, 43-37.
Coming out of the locker room, Western picked up where it had left off prior to the halftime buzzer, scoring five quick points to cut the game to one, 42-42. All told, the Lady Catamounts put together an 11-0 run spanning the two halves, but were unable to pull ahead. UNCG managed to pull back out by four, but were held in check as Western forced the game's first tie, 49-49, at the 13:26 mark. Over the next six minutes, the seesaw affair would endure two additional ties, with the Lady Catamounts taking their first lead of the game on a Powell 3-pointer, 56-55, with five and a half to play. Western took its third and final one-point advantage on the Dawson free throws before going cold from the field. During UNC Greensboro's decisive 10-0 run to close the game, Western committed three turnovers and missed three jump shots.
Western out rebounded the Spartans 41-35, but committed 23 turnovers to UNCG's 15.
UNC Greensboro (7-9, 3-4 SoCon) matched WCU's pair in double-figures, led by a dozen from juniors Jasmine Byrd and 10 points from Irene Otamiri. Sophomore Megan Chamberlain finished with nine points and eight rebounds, while her front court classmate, Kristen Boone, scored six while swiping six steals and dishing out three assists in the win.
Story Courtesy College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 72, Anderson 71
CHARLESTON, SC - Melissa Chambers was a perfect 11-for-11 from the field, a SoCon and CofC record, to score a career-high 23 points and lead the College of Charleston women’s basketball team to the 72-71 win over the Anderson Trojans tonight in front of 283 fans at the John Kresse Arena.
Chambers’ perfection from the field is a College of Charleston Division I record and ties the Southern Conference mark as well.
The Cougars improve to 7-8, while the Trojans fall to 10-3 on the year.
The first half saw 11 ties as no team could build a large lead early. The Cougars did lead 16-10 with 12:40 left in the half before Anderson rattled off eight straight points to take the 18-16 lead with 10:37 left. The margin never got higher than three and the teams went into the locker room tied 37-37.
The Cougars opened the second half with a 13-3 run that gave them a 50-40 lead with 15:32 left in the game. Anderson fought back with a 20-10 run over the next eight minutes to tie the game at 60-60 with 7:47 to go. The Trojans took the three-point 69-66 lead with 3:18 left before as Erica Irick nailed a three-pointer at 2:29 to tie the game yet again. The would be the last tie as Sarah Moye, who posted a career-high 13 points on the night, connected on a lay-up with 1:44 left and was fouled, converting the bonus to take the Cougars up 72-69. Anderson’s Keana Boyd converted the next shot to cut the lead to one and then Marketta Talley, who tied her career-high with 10 assists, missed a three-pointer with 20 seconds left giving the ball to Anderson with the opportunity for the last shot. LaShondra Chile, who shot a season-high 29 points, missed a jumper at the end that would’ve given the Trojans the upset win. The Cougars, instead, walked away with the 72-71 win.
Charleston shot a season-high 49.2 percent from the field, including 51.7 in the second half, while Anderson posted 34.9 percent. The Trojans edged the Cougars 40-39 in rebounds. Following Anderson’s Chiles’ 29 points was Deidra Langston with 15 and Boyd with 11. Langston also had 14 rebounds for a double-double. Following Chambers’ career-high 23 points was Irick, who scored 16 and Moye who had 13 for the Cougars. Moye also led in rebounds with seven.