UNC Greensboro 67, Liberty 59
COLLEGE PARK, MD- UNC Greensboro head coach Lynn Agee picked up her 500th win as Spartan head coach as UNCG defeated Liberty, 67-59 in the consolation game of the Terrapin Classic on Saturday afternoon.
UNCG (7-5) was led by senior guard Jasmine Byrd who had 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor and KaLeah Latham who had a career-high 14 rebounds. Kristen Boone also tied a season high dishing out six assists while Kemena Brooks tied a season-high, with nine points.
Liberty (6-7) was led by Moriah and Megan Frazee, who had 17 and 15 points, respectively.
"We played much better in the second half today", head coach Lynn Agee said. "We had lots of fouls in the first half but we were able to regroup in the second half. The job that we did on the boards in the second half was great, which was key considering that they had a size advantage on us."
UNCG opened the second half with a 6-0 sparked by two jumpers and free throws by Meghan Chamberlain to take a 39-36 lead. Liberty scored their first basket of the game nearly six minutes into the half, to cut UNCG?s lead to 42-38 but the Spartans defense responded with a steal by Boone and 11-2 run to extend their lead to 52-40 at the 12:38 mark, the largest lead of the game.
Liberty was able to get as close as two points by converting at the free throw line but UNCG clamped down on the defensive end and was able to pull out the win snapping their two-game losing streak.
UNCG started the game quickly, with Byrd hitting a three on the opening possession for the second consecutive game. The Spartans opened with a 15-4 run behind three-pointers from Byrd and KaLeah Latham, but Liberty was able to get themselves a little momentum by hitting a three coming out of a media timeout and adding a bucket in the paint to cut the Spartan lead to four with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half.
Liberty hit three unanswered buckets to cut the lead to two before Otamiri hit a three-pointer through the left side to extend the lead to five at the 10:40 mark. Both teams went cold from the floor over the next two minutes but Kemena Brooks got the Spartans over the hump with a layup. Liberty responded with a 13-4 run over the next three minutes to take a one point lead.
Byrd hit three consecutive jumpers to push the UNCG lead to 31-26 at the 3:40 mark but Liberty was able to capitalize on UNCG turnovers and fouls, going on an 8-2 run in the last two minutes to take a 36-33 led into the lockeroom.
UNCG shot 33.3 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Liberty 27-22 in the first half.
The Spartans will continue their three-game road swing when they take on SoCon rival Chattanooga, Tuesday Jan. 3 at 7 pm at McKenzie Arena.
Georgia Southern 71, Furman 59
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Four Lady Eagles scored in double-figures as the Georgia Southern women’s basketball team cruised to a 71-59 Southern Conference victory over Furman, Saturday afternoon, at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The win snaps a two-game skid for the Lady Eagles, improving their record to 6-7 overall, and garnering their first league win of the season, posting a 1-1 conference record.
The Lady Paladins fall to 5-8 (0-2) with the loss, extending the streak to three losses.
Tiffany Brown (Waxhaw, N.C.) led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 8-of-12 (.667) from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point arc. The junior guard dished out a game-high five assists, pulled down a game-high tying seven rebounds and grabbed a season-high five assists.
Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) netted a season-high tying 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds. Freshman guard Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) and sophomore guard Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, N.C.) rounded out the GSU scoring with 13 and 10 points apiece.
Furman’s Jessica Lange led the Lady Paladins with 15 points going 6-of-8 from the field and grabbed a game-high tying seven rebounds.
Both teams traded baskets to start out the contest before Georgia Southern began a 6-0 scoring run that that was capped by a steal and a fast break layup off the hands of Brown. The Lady Eagles led 12-7 with 16:08 remaining in the first half.
Georgia Southern’s quick defense-to-offense transition helped spark another big run, scoring 10 unanswered points which started when Brown rebounded Furman’s missed shot, sprinted the length of the court and dished out to a cutting Carolyn Whitney. Whitney one-touched the ball back to Brown for an easy layup and a 23-18 advantage with 6:44 remaining in the first half.
Less than two minutes later, redshirt freshman Taylor Youngblood (Sylvester, Ga.) recorded her first collegiate points, burying a trifecta that increased the GSU lead to 30-18 with 5:12 remaining in the first stanza.
Shawnda Atwood capped the run to give the Lady Eagles a 13-point lead with 4:52 on the clock.
At the break, the Lady Eagles had built up an eight-point advantage, shooting a solid 14-of-31 (.452) from the field, a notable difference from the prior two games when GSU shot below 22 percent in the first half. Defensively, the Lady Eagles forced eight first-half turnovers, including five steals that converted into 10 points off turnovers.
Atwood paced the Lady Eagles with 11 points, making her first start since their first matchup versus Troy (Nov. 18).
Chrissy Phelps and Jessica Lange led the Lady Paladins with eight points apiece in the first half.
To start the second half, the Lady Paladins quickly cut the margin down to 34-28 when Phelps hit both foul shots. The six-point margin was the closest Furman would get to even up the match for the remainder of the game.
But Brown’s trifecta with 15:18 remaining in the second half sparked a 12-0 scoring run that continued over the next 4:05. In that same time period, the Lady Eagles forced four Furman turnovers as GSU held a 55-36 advantage, its largest lead of the game.
Jessica Lange broke the GSU run, producing an old-fashioned three-pointer with 9:01 remaining. Lee Stephens added another three-pointer a minute later to close the GSU lead to 13 points, 55-42.
Over the next 6:43, the Lady Paladins had changed the momentum of the game, going on a 17-8 run that closed the GSU lead down to an eight point, 63-55 margin with 2:01 remaining in the contest.
The Lady Eagles held on for the win as they led the entire second half.
Thanks to a quick transition from defense to offense, the Lady Eagles produced 16 fast break points, compared to Furman’s seven.
“We figured with the four girls I had going in... there were four areas to beat them in,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “One of them was the turnover department. We really wanted to turn up the heat against them. They’re taller than us. We felt like we were quicker than them when you got five people on the floor. And we wanted to utilize that.”
GSU dominated in the paint, recording a 44-14 advantage in points in the paint.
The Lady Eagles shot 29-of-69 (.420) from the field, edging Furman’s 19-of-47 (.404) field goal shooting.
Furman committed 22 turnovers, while the Lady Eagles dropped 14.
Cram has accomplished what no other women’s basketball coach has at Georgia Southern. The 11th year leader has coached his 300th game, posting a 160-140 (.533) record. He sits just three games shy of the most career wins, behind predecessor Drema Greer, who garnered a 162-101 record in nine years as head coach (1987-96).
The Lady Eagles will finish up the five-game homestand, Tuesday, January 2, as they continue conference play facing Wofford. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. The men’s team will immediately follow the women’s game as the Eagles host Pikeville in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Chattanooga 69, Elon 59
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Alex Anderson tallied a career-high 28 points Saturday to lead the Lady Mocs to a sixth straight win, defeating Elon 69-59 in Southern Conference action at the McKenzie Arena.
Anderson went 12-21 in the game with 15 first half points. She pulled down eight rebounds, had three blocked shots and two steals. Chattanooga was 25-53 (47.2%) on the day, knocking down 53.8 percent in the second half.
Elon jumped out to a quick start and held an eight point advantage just 2:24 into the game. The Phoenix forced four turnovers in the 8-0 run and got scoring from four different players.
The Lady Mocs bounced back, however, and went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good at 11-3 with 12:25 to play in the half. Chattanooga led by as much as eight points in the first half and were up just 25-21 at the break.
Chattanooga was again without a 3-pointer in the first half of play for the second straight game. Tagan Hatchett sank a long bomb at the 15:07 mark of the second to put UTC up by double-digits for the first time at 40-29. Chattanooga hit its largest lead twice in the half at 12 points. The first was on a 3-pointer from Laura Hall at 11:47. That make placed her in the top 10 all-time at UTC for shots made from beyond the arc with 80 for her career. The second was on a pair of free throws from Hatchett with 2:22 to play, giving the Lady Mocs a 65-53 lead.
Brooke Hand, with just two points in the first half, had three 3-pointers and closed out the game with 11 points. Kristen Spann had eight points and six rebounds. Laura Hall and Tagan Hatchett each tossed in seven points while Hand and Amy Mohr had four assists.
Chattanooga outrebounded the Phoenix 33-24 and the two teams combined for 47 turnovers. Elon’s Amber Wall had 10 points to lead the Phoenix and had a team-high five rebounds. Rachel Hester, with a pair of 3-pointers, had nine points. Nikko King and Shashonna Moore each had eight points while Nicole Allison and Tiffany Davis each tossed in seven.
The win was UTC’s sixth straight this season and 33rd consecutive regular season league victory. The Lady Mocs improve to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in league play while the Phoenix drop to 5-7 overall and 0-2 in Southern Conference action.
The Lady Mocs will host preseason favorite UNC Greensboro Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. at the McKenzie Arena. Listen to the “Voice of the Lady Mocs” Larry Ward with all the action live on WDOD-AM 1310 or worldwide at the official website of Lady Mocs’ athletics, www.GoMocs.com.
Western Carolina 69, Eastern Michigan 61
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina put four in double-figures, led by 16 points from sophomore Lauren Powell and the first double-double of the season for transfer Brooke Johnson to thwart Eastern Michigan's bid for back-to-back, double-digit, come-from-behind victories, winning 69-61
Saturday afternoon in the Ramsey Center.
Playing at home for the first time in 50 days, the win was Western's first in the Ramsey Center this season and pushed the Lady Catamounts to 8-5 overall, marking their best start since also winning eight prior to the New Year back in 2002-03. Eastern Michigan, who rallied from down 10
on Thursday night to upend Southern Conference foe, Furman, dropped to 5-6 overall with the loss.
Powell posted double-figures for the 30th time in her two-year career, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior Chevon Keith finished with 13 points and eight boards, while Monique Dawson chipped in 10. Brooke Johnson also tallied 10 points and was the lone player to reach double-digits in rebounds, pulling down 14.
Just missing double-figures for WCU were junior Ashley Pellom and sophomore Kendra Eaton, each with nine, with Pellom dishing out four assists and grabbing six rebounds while Eaton boarded five.
Western only trailed the Eagles three times, each by a deuce and all coming in the first half. After trading buckets early - and enduring six ties - the Lady Catamounts closed the opening stanza on a 16-to-6 run to lead at intermission, 36-26.
Out of the break, EMU stayed close, pulling to within six points three times and eventually used a Kelly Watts 3-pointer to cut the deficit to five, 48-43, midway through the second half. However, five-unanswered Catamount points, including fast-break lay ups from both Keith and Pellom, ballooned the advantage back to 10, 53-43, less than a minute later.
Trailing by a game-high 16, 61-45 with 6:45 remaining on the clock, Eastern Michigan mounted a 10-0 spurt over the next two and a half minutes to trim the WCU lead again to six, 61-55. The Eagles would again close to within five, 66-61, inside the final minute, but Western was
able to hit just enough charity tosses to seal the victory. Despite only connecting on five of its final 12 free throw attempts, Western held on for its third-consecutive win.
Eastern Michigan had three players finish in double-figures led by 14 from junior Patrice McKinney. Watts came off the bench to score 11, with Alyssa Pittman adding 10 in the losing effort. The Eagles' leading scorer, senior Sarah VanMetre, was held to nine points, eight off her
seasonal average.
Western Carolina, which has concluded the non-conference portion of its 2006-07 schedule, returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 2 when it visits Elon in SoCon play. The Lady Catamounts and Phoenix are set to tip-off at 7:00 pm from Alumni Gymnasium.