College of Charleston 81, Cleveland State 68
Brooklyn, N.Y. - Nikki Williams scored 20 points, while Jade Hughes added 19 points
and a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the College of Charleston women's basketball
team to the 81-68 win over Cleveland State in the Consolation game of the LIU Turkey
Classic.
Charleston improves to 2-3 and snaps a three-game losing streak while the Vikings
drop to 1-5. The Cougars are next in action Nov. 30th at 5:00 p.m. as they take on
Charleston Southern at the North Charleston Coliseum. Cleveland State hosts Buffalo
Nov. 28th at 7:00 p.m.
The Cougars shot an impressive 50.0 percent from the field in the first half and
were led by Williams, who posted 13 points in the first 20 minutes of action to give
Charleston the 10-point 41-31 advantage at intermission. Hughes had her former
career-high rebounds of six already eclipsed at half with her seven. The Vikings
shot 42.9 percent from the field in the first half.
Cleveland State came out of the locker room firing in the second half to cut the
Cougar lead to one, 47-46 with 16:22 left. The Vikings even tied the game at 49-49
at the 15:06 mark before the Cougars went on a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to
extend their lead to 11 with 8:13 to go. Cleveland State would get no closer to
eight and fell by the eventual 13-point margin, 81-68.
The Cougars settled down in the second half and shot 41.2 percent to end the game
with a field goal percentage. Cleveland State had a 38.3 field goal percentage for
the game. Charleston out-rebounded Cleveland State, 44-34, behind 14 from Hughes,
who posted her first career double-double.
Also scoring in double-figures for the Cougars was Melissa Chambers and Erika Smith,
who both had 10 points apiece.
The Cougars went eight-for-14 from three-point range, while the Vikings went
nine-for-22 on the afternoon. Cleveland State took the 23-22 edge in turnovers.
The 13-for-15 effort from the free throw line was a season-high for the Cougars.
Leading Cleveland State was Jessica Roque with 25 points. Nicole Thomas led with
five rebounds.
Montana 68, Davidson 61
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Mandy Morales led four Montana Lady Grizzlies in double figures with 15 points and the Davidson women's basketball team could not overcome 21 turnovers in falling 68-61 in its first game of the Klosterman Buckeye Classic at St. John Arena on Saturday, Nov. 25. Davidson fell to 3-2 on the year, while Montana remained undefeated at 3-0.
The first half was highlighted by the Sonya Rogers of Montana and redshirt junior Katie Hamilton (Lilburn, Ga.) show as both players provided much of the offensive firepower for their respective team.
After Davidson held a slight 6-3 lead to start the game, Montana proceeded to take its first big lead of the contest with a 17-2 run before junior Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) got the 'Cats back on the board at the 7:41 mark, and the Lady Grizzlies held a 20-10 lead. Rogers scored five points during the run and later would score the final eight Montana points to close out the half. She finished with 13 first-half points, but was held scoreless in the second half.
The Wildcats had their own scoring weapon in Hamilton, who helped Davidson claw its way back into the game in the first stanza. She scored nine of Davidson's last 19 points of the half, including the final five. Hamilton's second three-pointer of the half with five seconds remaining in the period, cut a 15-point Montana lead down to three, 32-29, going into halftime.
Hamilton ended the afternoon with a game-high 22 points on a season-best 8-of-17 shooting from the field with four shots coming from behind the arc. The junior also stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, three steals and her first block of the season.
Hamilton carried her offensive display on into the start of the second half all the way till Davidson took its first lead since the 15:37 mark of the first period. The shooting guard netted eight of the Wildcats' 13 points at the beginning of the new stanza and capped off Davidson's run at the start of the second half with another three-pointer from the right corner with 13:12 remaining to give the Wildcats a 42-41 lead.
The one-point lead would not last long and would be Davidson's final advantage of the game. Montana answered Hamilton's offensive outburst with one of its own as a team, scoring 18 of the next 25 points to take a 59-49 lead with 3:24 left in the game. Five different players scoring during the stretch, led by Mandy Morales' seven.
Hemerka cut the Lady Grizzlies lead down to three, 62-59, with a layup off a pass from senior Jessica Mitchell (Wilkesboro, N.C.) with 50 seconds on the clock. Hemerka was the Wildcats other player in double figures with 11 points and hauled in five rebounds.
Montana though, went 4-for-6 from the free throw line and got a fastbreak layup in the final 45 seconds of play to hold on for the 68-61 win over Davidson.
For the second straight game and fourth time overall, Davidson won the rebounding margin, 42-33. Seven players had three or more rebounds as senior Brynn Kelly (Spokane, Wash.) led the team with seven.
Assisting Morales and Rogers on the offensive side of the court for Montana was Tamara Guardipee and Laura Cote with 10 points each. The Wildcats did hold Montana's leading scorer, Johanna Closson, to only five points, which was 12 below her season average.
Davidson will wrap up the 2006 Klosterman Buckeye Classic on Sunday at 12 p.m. against the loser of the No. 6 Ohio State/Cornell game, which followed Davidson's game today.
UNC Greensboro 72, Providence 68
GREENSBORO, NC ? Kristen Boone’s 22-footer from the left wing as the shot
clock expired sealed the win as UNC Greensboro handed Providence its first
loss of the season, 72-68, in the championship game of the UNCG
Thanksgiving Tournament.
Boone, a junior from Upper Marlboro, MD, hit the slightly off-balance shot
with just 18 seconds to play to give the Spartans a four-point lead. It was
just her second field goal of the afternoon, both of which in the final
2:38.
Jasmine Byrd led the Spartans (5-1) with 23 points, the fourth time she has
topped the 20-point mark in five games this season. She knocked down
6-of-12 from three-point range. The six three-pointers were one shy of a
school record. Byrd was also named tournament Most Valuable Player.
“I feel good,” said Byrd after the game. “I have a different mindset this
year and I’ve learned to keep my head and stay positive. My teammates have
really helped me keep my composure and put up big shots.”
KaLeah Lathem finished with 15 points for the Spartans and pulled down a
team-high 10 boards. Senior Irene Otamiri and junior Meghan Chamberlain had
nine points each.
The win marked the second straight season UNCG has beaten a Big East
opponent. Last year, UNCG topped West Virginia at home for the program’s
first-ever win over a Big East school. It was also UNCG’s eighth-straight
home win.
The last time the Spartans won their own tournament was in the 2002-03
season after defeating Loyola and East Carolina.
“It feels great to win our own tournament,” stated head coach Lynne Agee,
who has 497 career wins at UNCG. “We played extremely well and I am very
pleased to keep the trophy here at home.”
Chelsea Marandola had a double-double for Providence (6-1) with a game-high
28 points to go with 10 rebounds.
“Marandola is an unbelievable player for Providence,” said Agee. “She makes
big plays for her team and is a great player to watch.”
The Spartans jumped out to an early 13-2 lead in the first five minutes.
However, the Friars made a run of their own and brought the margin as close
as two with five minutes left, 25-23. The Spartans then scored nine
unanswered points, including Byrd’s third three-pointer in the half, and
went into intermission with a 36-26 lead.
Providence got its first lead of the game at the 10:37 mark. Aga Lorenc
converted a conventional three-point play for her first points of the day
and gave the Friars a 49-47 lead. At 5:20, Otamiri tied the game up at 61
after converting a three-point play. The Spartans grabbed final lead with
1:30 to play when Otamiri put up another big shot for the 69-68 advantage.
“Kristen and Irene made big shots for us at the end and we held our poise
to take the win,” said Byrd.
UNCG finished with 43 total rebounds, including 20 offensive boards. The
Spartans also shot 71.4 percent (10-14) from the free-throw line and are
now 21-3 when scoring more than 70 points.
“We took back the moment in the last five minutes after losing the lead in
the beginning of the second half,” said Agee. “The focus was put back on
defense and we picked it up. Our rebounding was outstanding and we hit the
free-throws when we needed to.”
“I am very happy with the win and with the way we played today.”
UNCG travels to North Carolina on Thursday to take on the nationally-ranked
Tar Heels. Game time set for 7 pm.
Western Carolina 64, Colorado State 60
Fort Collins, Colo. ? Western Carolina rallied from down 16 points in the second
half to defeat the home standing Colorado State Rams, 64-60, to win the 13th annual
Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational Saturday night at the Moby Arena. After trailing
by 14 at intermission, 39-25, WCU did it with defense in the second half, limiting
the Rams to 18 second half points until a 3-pointer at the final buzzer provided the
final scoring margin.
Western Carolina evened its seasonal record at 3-3, while Colorado State dropped to
2-3 overall.
“I am so proud of the way this team responded in the second half. We just found a
way to win tonight,” said third-year head coach Kellie Harper.
For the second-straight game, four Lady Catamounts scored in double figures in
Saturday’s win led by a career-high 16 from junior guard Ashley Pellom. Junior
Chevon Keith and sophomore Lauren Powell each scored 15, with Keith adding a
team-high seven rebounds and a career-best six assists. WCU leading scorer, Monique
Dawson, rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points including a perfect
7-for-7 from the charity stripe.
Dawson was named the Most Valuable Player for the Rocky Mountain Invitational and
was joined on the all-tournament team teammates Keith and Dawson. Rounding out the
five-member squad was Colorado State’s Kelly Jo Mullaney and Weber State’s Sara
Tuomi. Dawson averaged a team-best 16 points per game in the tournament, while Keith
averaged 13.5 points and six boards and Pellom chipped in an average of 10 points
over the two-day event.
The Rams and Lady Catamounts each started slowly on the offensive end of the court,
but Colorado State put together an 8-0 run early in the first half to erase WCU’s
early one-point, 7-6, lead to take a 16-9 advantage at the 11:55 mark of the
contest. CSU would pull ahead by as many as 11 before a 9-2 Ram run over the final
3:22 of the half to take a 14-point, 39-25, lead into the locker room.
After the break, Colorado State appeared to be on its way after a jumper inside the
first 30 seconds pushed the lead to 16, 41-25. However, the Lady Catamounts
responded with a 7-0 run, including five from the free throw line, to bring the
Rams’ lead back to single-digits. CSU managed to push their lead back to 13 at
45-32, but would then go cold from the floor as Western embarked on a 19-5 run over
the next ten and a half minutes as the Lady Catamounts took their second lead of the
contest, 51-50, with six minutes in regulation.
With five minutes to play, the game endured just its second tie, 53-53, after Dawson
converted a lay-up and drew a foul. Her ensuing free throw gave Western the lead for
good as the Lady Cats were able to pull ahead by as many as seven before Fort
Collins native, CSU’s Sara Hunter, drained a 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Dawson
accounted for nine of the Lady Catamounts final 13 points to help seal the win.
Over the final 16 minutes of the game, Colorado State mustered just three field
goals. Also, while trying to run the clock out over the final two minutes, Keith
secured two offensive rebounds
Colorado State was led by freshman guard Kelly Jo Mullaney finishing with 16 points,
five rebounds and four assists. Senior Molly Nohr added 13 points, seven rebounds
and a team-leading five assists while freshman Juanise Cornell set a career-high
with 10 rebounds for the Rams.
Western Carolina returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 29, when it travels over the
mountain to face regional rival, UNC Asheville, at 7:00 pm in the Justice Center.
The contest is a part of the Parkway Series, presented by Arby’s, which currently
stands tied at two.
Kansas State 75, Elon 34
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Kansas State Wildcats saw four players score in double digits
and defeated the Elon Phoenix 75-34 in the consolation game of the Lady Rebel
Shootout on S-- ELON --(4-1) scored the game's first four points before the Phoenix
(2-3) netted the next five markers on a Tierra Bumbrey three and a jumper from Nikko
King to take a 5-4 lead with 16:36 to play.
A Carolyn McCullough layup at 15:53 put K-State back on top for good. The Wildcats
led 26-13 with 2:30 to go in the half, but Elon trimmed the margin to 10 at 28-18
when Amber Wall hit a layup at the 1:51 mark.
Kansas State outscored Elon 8-2 over the rest of the half and led 36-20 at the break.
The Wildcats pulled away in the second stanza, pushing their lead to as many as 43
late in the half.
Elon's offense was paced by seven points from both Shashonna Moore and Wall. Wall
also led the squad with eight rebounds. Bumbrey led Elon with four assists and five
steals.
Kimberly Dietz led K-State with 18 points while Claire Coggins added 15 and Shana
Wheeler and Ashley Sweat both netted 10 points. Marlies Gipson pulled down a
game-best 11 rebounds.
The Phoenix will return to North Carolina at take on Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C.
on Thursday 7:00 p.m.
UNC Wilmington 50, Furman 43
Wilmington, N.C. - Greta Luksyte recorded 20 points and Tournament Most Valuable Player Lori Drake scored 11 points and added ten rebounds as UNC Wilmington defeated Furman 50-43 in the championship game of the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Classic on Saturday afternoon.
Chrissy Phelps led Furman with 13 points, and was named to the All-Tournament team. Courtney Opie joined Phelps in double-figures with ten points and snared a team-high seven rebounds.
UNCW jumped out to a 27-17 halftime lead as Furman struggled to score from the field. The Lady Paladins shot just 4-of-19 (.211) from the floor in the first half, while the Seahawks made 11-of-26 shot attempts in the first half. Furman was able to keep the game close, making 9-of-11 first half free throw attempts, but had to endure a scoreless drought from the field, making just one field goal in the final 11 minutes of the first half.
The Seahawks extended their lead to as much as 12 points in the second half, but Furman was able to battle back, shooting 37 percent in the second half (10-27), and forcing ten UNCW turnovers. The Lady Paladins drew to within five points as Phelps' layup made the score 40-35 with 3:36 remaining, but back-to-back three-pointers by Stephanie Fernald and Luksyte pushed the margin back out to ten points at 46-36 with just over one minute left.
Furman ended the game shooting 30.4 percent for the game, while the Seahawks managed 38.5 percent on the day. Furman outmuscled UNCW in the paint 22-14, but the Seahawks scored 21 points off Furman turnovers.
Kali Holtfreter recorded three steals for Furman, and Jessica Lange added four blocked shots.
With the loss, Furman drops to 3-2 on the season, while UNCW improves to 2-3 overall. The Lady Paladins return to action on Wednesday night as Furman travels to face Clemson at 7:00 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Georgia Southern 64, Western Illinois 60
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Carolyn Whitney scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half as the Georgia Southern women’s basketball team defeated Western Illinois, 64-60, Saturday night, at the AmeriSuites Midtown Thanksgiving Tournament, hosted by New Mexico.
With the win, the Lady Eagles (2-5) snap a five-game skid and garner third place in the tournament. Western Illinois falls to 1-4 on the season.
The Western Illinois Westerwinds held the Lady Eagles scoreless almost five minutes into the game, producing a 6-0 advantage starting with a running layup by Nicole Myers.
Enduring a five-minute drought, the Lady Eagles got on the scoreboard after converting a steal by
Concella Henry into a fast break layup by Shawnda Atwood at the 15:16 mark.
Ashley Rivens tied up the match at nine points a piece when she made a three-pointer off a screen with 12:42 on the clock. Rivens finished the game with 18 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including four three-pointers.
Christa Waterman gave GSU its first lead of the game, 21-20, with 6:12 remaining in the first half off a second-chance shot in the paint.
The Lady Eagles got into foul trouble early, sending Western Illinois to the charity stripe 14 times. The Westerwinds converted 10 of those free throws successfully.
The Westerwinds led the Lady Eagles at the half, 33-30, shooting 11-of-22 from the field. GSU
shot 12-of-33 with a pair of treys.
In the second half, the Lady Eagles came out a different team, forcing nine second-half turnovers.
“I thought we got out-hussled and they were more aggressive in the first half than we were,” said 11th year head coach Rusty Cram. “Our goal was to try and get the girls to come out more aggressive in the second half.”
Carolyn Whitney exploded, hitting three field goals, two from behind the arc, and making 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
The Lady Eagles fought back and finally regained the lead that they would never relinquish as Rivens hit a jumper with 9:36 on the clock, giving the lady eagles a 47-46 advantage.
With 8:14 remaining, Christa Waterman’s long jumper at the top of the key rattled in and the Lady
Eagles built up a 55-47 lead, translating into a 10-0 run in a two minute span.
The Westerwinds efforts to regain their first-half lead came up short as the Lady Eagles sealed the four-point victory off a pair of free throws off the hands of Carolyn Whitney.
The Lady Eagles controlled the boards, grabbing 45 rebounds compared to WIU’s 35. The positive 10 rebound margin converted into 20 second-chance points in favor of the Lady Eagles, compared to Western Illinois’ nine.
WIU’s Dee Dee Murphy led her team with 13 points and eight rebounds.
At the conclusion of the Thanksgiving Tournament, freshman Carolyn Whitney was named to the AmeriSuites Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team. New Mexico's Julie Briody earned 'Most Valuable Player' honors as the Lobos garnered the tournament title defeating Siena, Saturday night by a 78-39 margin.
Head coach Cram and the Lady Eagles will return back home to host South Alabama, Tuesday, Nov. 28. Tip-off at Hanner Fieldhouse is slated for 7 p.m.
AmeriSuites Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team
Dionne Marsh, F - UNM
Laura Menty, F - Siena
Dee Dee Murphy, G - Western Illinois
Carolyn Whitney, G - Georgia Southern
MVP - Julie Briody, G - UNM