Story Courtesy Furman sports information
Appalachian State 58, Furman 44
GREENVILLE, SC - Appalachian State's Kiki Conyers scored 17 points, and the Mountaineers turned 28 Furman turnovers into 29 points as Appalachian State defeated Furman 58-44 on Tuesday night at Timmons Arena. Freshmen guards Melissa Liebschwager and Sarah Baker each tallied 12 points for the Lady Paladins, and Liebschwager added eight rebounds in a losing effort.
Furman (7-14, 3-8 Southern Conference) outshot Appalachian State (10-10, 6-5 SoCon) from the field, but was unable to overcome 17 Mountaineer steals and five minute field goal drought to end the game.
Trailing 31-21 at the intermission, Furman started the second half on a 10-2 run to trim the Mountaineer lead to two at 33-31 with just under 17 minutes remaining. After a Jessica Lange free throw cut the lead to one point with 14:42 remaining in the contest, Appalachian State responded as Eboni Kirby nailed a three pointer and a jumpshot, and Greteya Kelley followed with two free throws to stretch the lead to eight for the Mountaineers.
A Courtney Opie free throw at the 7:55 cut the lead to five points at 44-39, but the Lady Paladins would get no closer as Appalachian State ended the game on a 14-4 run for the final spread.
"I really thought that we made a good run at a comeback in the second half," said head coach Sam Dixon. "We played six different freshmen a lot of minutes; we came out in the second half and started four freshmen and one senior. Every day is a learning process for us."
Appalachian State forced 15 first-half turnovers, including 10 steals, to key a 17-5 run in the first half, and build a 14 point lead. Furman cut into the lead before the break with a Tommi Paris free throw and a Liebschwager three-pointer.
"Tonight's game was a production of youth," said head coach Sam Dixon. "We committed a lot of turnovers in the first half. You have to give them credit for forcing those turnovers. They are very aggressive on defense, and are able to run through passing lanes to get steals."
Baker and Liebschwager each contributed 12 points, the second straight game that Baker has tied for the team high. Liebschwager added a team high eight rebounds, and Paris had a game-high six assists.