Story Courtesy Elon sports information
Appalachian State 61, Elon 53
ELON, NC - Eboni Kirby scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season to lead the Appalachian State Mountaineers (15-12, 11-7 Southern) to a 61-53 victory over the Elon Phoenix (12-15, 7-11) from Alumni Gym on Saturday afternoon. The win runs ASU’s winning streak to a season-best five games and spoiled Elon’s 2006 Senior Day.
Elon opened up a 4-0 lead on an Alexandra Schafranek layup with 15:51 to play in the first half before Appalachian State took its first lead at 5-4 on a Danielle Edwards layup with 14:24 to go in the period. On the fifth lead change of the half, the Mountaineers grabbed the lead for good as a jumper from Edwards put ASU ahead 9-8 with 11:32 to play in the stanza.
Appalachian State extended its lead to as many as nine points with 9:08 to go when Kirby hit a layup. The Phoenix twice closed to within three, the latest coming when Tierra Bumbrey drained a jumper with 3:48 showing on the clock. A 4-1 ASU run to end the period saw the Mountaineers enter the break with a 28-22 advantage.
The Mountaineer lead reached 13 points when Kirby hit a three with 16:35 left in regulation that made the score 35-22. Elon rallied to trim the margin to five when Myra Donkin hit a three to put the Phoenix down 37-32 with 13:24 to play. ASU responded with the game’s next five points to regain a 10 point advantage
After the lead hit 12 at 46-34 on a Kirby jumper with 10:48 left, Elon again closed to within five thanks to an 8-1 run capped by two free throws from Bumbrey with 6:20 still to play. With the score 47-42, Appalachian State used a 6-2 run to push the margin back to nine with 4:35 left. The ASU lead would stretch to 11 with 48 ticks remaining on the clock when Whitney Tossie put in one of two free throw attempts. Elon closed the game on a 5-2 run to provide the final margin.
Elon was paced by a team-high 11 points from Donkin. Katie Whidden added 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench for the Phoenix. Kitara McMoore ended the afternoon with nine points and 11 rebounds while Bumbrey finished with 10 points, five assists and three steals.
For Appalachian State, Edwards finished with 12 markers and Tossie netted 13 points.
The Mountaineers converted 15 Phoenix turnovers into 19 points, while Elon scored 17 markers off of 17 ASU miscues. Both teams finished the day with eight steals. ASU blocked five shots to four for the Phoenix.
Both teams will await the seedings for the Southern Conference Tournament which begins on March 2 from Charleston, S.C. Appalachian State has secured a first round bye.
Story Courtesy UNC Greensboro sports information
UNC Greensboro 72, Western Carolina 57
GREENSBORO, NC ? Kristen Boone tied her career-high with 25 points to lead UNC Greensboro to a 72-57 victory over Western Carolina in the Southern Conference women’s basketball regular season game for both clubs. The win secures the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament for the Spartans.
The Upper Marlboro, MD native also hauled in a career-best 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season. UNCG (16-11, 12-6 SoCon) also got 11 points from KaLeah Latham and 10 points from Irene Otamiri.
Teshymia Tillman, a native of nearby High Point, NC, led Western Carolina (8-19, 8-10 SoCon) with 15 points. Chevon Keith and Monique Dawson tossed in nine points apiece for the Lady Catamounts, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
UNCG held a slim two-point, 55-53, lead with 4:38 left in the game when Otamiri started a 17-4 run to close the game with a layup at the 3:27 mark.
Jasmine Byrd then converted a fast-break layup and Otamiri layed in another basket and UNCG was well on its way to its 10th victory in the last 12 games.
Western never got any closer than six the rest of the way. UNCG went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to help its cause.
In the last four games, all victories for the Spartans, the defense has allowed less than 60 points.
UNCG owned a 32-28 win heading to the second half. The game remained a tight one for the next 15 minutes with 10 lead changes and three ties.
Western’s last lead was 49-48 after a 3-pointer by Lauren Powell at the
7:19 mark. Boone immediately answered with a layup that gave the Spartans the lead for good.
In the first half, sophomore guard Kemena Brooks’ 3-pointer gave UNCG its largest lead of the half, 19-12, at the 10:23 mark. The Lady Catamounts got within 30-28 on an Amelia Miller jumper with 1:33 until halftime, before Meghan Chamberlain gave UNCG a 32-28 intermission lead on a layup in the final minute of play.
UNCG honored its three seniors (Caroline Blair, Ashley Current and Shanika
Jackson) in a brief ceremony before the start of the game. All three were inserted into the lineup, which represented Jackson’s first ever start in
84 games. She scored six points.
UNCG will next play on Friday at 5 pm against the winner of the No. 7 seed /No. 10 seed game in the SoCon Tournament. The game will be played at McCalister Fieldhouse on the campus of The Citadel in Charleston, SC.
Georgia Southern 65, College of Charleston 61
STATESBORO, GA - Georgia Southern senior Nicole Newton (Dublin, Ga.) and sophomore Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) each posted double-doubles as the Lady Eagles pulled away late for a 65-61 win over the College of Charleston Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.
GSU improves to 10-17 overall and 7-11 in the Southern Conference. The Cougars fall to 11-16 and 7-11. Both teams will await word on their seeding and opponent for the SoCon Tournament next week.
The victory snaps a six-game losing streak for Georgia Southern, the longest by the program since the 1998-99 season.
Newton and Atwood each scored 15 while Newton grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, the most by a GSU player since Dec. 22, 2003. Atwood totaled 11 boards. The duo helped Georgia Southern win the rebounding battle 55-32.
College of Charleston senior Erica Irick (Columbia, S.C.) led all players with 23 points, but shot 6-for-22 from the field and 4-for-14 from 3-point land. She was the only Cougar in double-figures.
“We had to break that skid we had going and get that confidence back somewhere,” said GSU head coach Rusty Cram. “We were playing not to lose instead of to win, and that makes all the difference in the world. Now, maybe after getting this win under their belt they can loosen up, get some confidence back and start playing basketball the way we know how.”
Up by four at the half, the opening moments of the second period belonged to the Lady Eagles. Three different players contributed to a 6-1 run to help GSU take its largest lead of the game, 32-23.
Following a timeout, CofC answered with a three-pointer by freshman Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) and started to slowly decrease the deficit, eventually tying the contest at 36-36 on a lay-up by sophomore Erika Smith (Mannsville, N.Y.).
Freshman Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) answered with a triple to kickstart a 7-0 run, all by herself, as she followed up with a free throw and another trifecta.
Once again College of Charleston worked the lead back down and back-to-back treys from Irick and Hughes gave the Cougars the lead (49-47) for the first time since the 9:54 mark of the first half.
Georgia Southern wasted little time in answering. Senior Lee DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.) fed sophomore Chequilla Jessie (Sanford, Fla.) inside for a lay-up and hit a bucket of her own for a two-point advantage.
The Lady Eagles continued to stay ahead and Newton’s three-point play with 2:21 to go was the team’s last field goal of the afternoon. Melson, Newton and Atwood hit seven of their next 10 free throw attempts to put the game away.
The first half was close the entire way as neither team led by more than four points. College of Charleston was up for most of the first four minutes, taking an 8-5 lead on a jumper by Smith, but DuBose answered with a three then went on top for the first time the next trip down the floor on a lay-up by Newton.
The lead changed hands several times over the next few minutes, but freshman Nya Daley’s (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) lay-in just after the 10-minute mark put the Lady Eagles on top 18-17, and would not trail for the rest of the period.
The score was tied for the final time (22-22) in the first half on a three-pointer by Irick with 3:46 to play. Atwood and Newton closed the half with jumpers and Georgia Southern took a 26-22 lead into the break. It was the largest lead for either team in the first half.
Neither team shot particularly well in the opening 20 minutes. GSU hit 28.6 percent from the floor while the Cougars hit 25.7 percent. The rebounding battle belonged to the Lady Eagles 31-21.
Saturday’s game marked the final home game for three Georgia Southern seniors: DuBose, Newton and Leslie Spoon (Benton, La.).
“Two of their first three years, they went to the championship game,” Cram said about his senior class. “So they’ve made huge commitments to this program. Now they have to step up and play come tournament time, and you’re only going to go as your seniors go. We have to rely on their leadership and experience.’
Story Courtesy Wofford sports information
Chattanooga 96, Wofford 61
SPARTANBURG, SC - Southern Conference regular-season champion Chattanooga spoiled Senior Day festivities at Wofford as the Lady Mocs claimed a 96-61 victory against the Terriers Saturday afternoon in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Wofford seniors Nakia Mister, Becky Sasso and LaToya Strong played their final home game of their careers and were honored in a ceremony earlier in the day. Sasso, who went down with an injury Feb. 1, 2005, and has not seen action all season, suited up for the final time and played the first two minutes before being removed.
A Nicole Mattison 3-pointer and layup by Alex Anderson quickly gave Chattanooga an early 5-0 cushion before the Terriers closed within one, 5-4. Jenny Weurding kept Wofford again down just one, 7-6, on a bucket with 16:19 to play before the Lady Mocs built a 10-point lead, 18-8, on an 11-2 run to the 13:57 mark highlighted by triples from Erin Ogan and Mattison.
Chattanooga (24-3, 18-0 SoCon) would continue to knock down shots and would take a 27-12 lead on a Tiffani Roberson layup with 10:42 remaining. The Lady Mocs would see their lead swell to as high as 22 on three occasions later in the half, the last being on a Roberson foul shot with 1:06 left for a 46-24 edge.
K.C. Correll hit a 3-pointer to bring the Terriers back within 19, 46-27, with just under a minute left before Brooke Hand nailed a trey at the halftime buzzer to put Chattanooga on top 49-27 at the half.
After being held scoreless in the first half, preseason SoCon Player of the Year Katasha Brown opened the second half's scoring with five-straight points. The league's top offense did not slow down in the second half as the Lady Mocs pushed their lead to 64-33 on another Hand 3-pointer with 16:12 to play.
Freshman Kate Dempsey continued her solid play in the low post for Wofford (7-20, 3-15 SoCon) with a layup at the 12:30 mark to trip the deficit to 28, 68-40. Fellow rookie Liz Miller's layup brought the Terriers within 26, 71-45, with 10:16 to play. It would be the closest the hosts would get the remainder of the game.
Two free throws by Ashley Huff gave Chattanooga its largest lead of the contest of 39, 90-51, with 2:53 showing on the clock. Wofford scored six of the game's final eight points on buckets from Weurding and a pair from freshman Laura Depko.
Roberson led all players with 17 points, one higher than Hand's 16. Reigning SoCon Player of the Week Alex Anderson poured in 13 and added game-highs of nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Brown finished with 11 points.
The Lady Mocs drilled 12 triples for the third time this season on their way to completing their second undefeated league campaign in the last three seasons.
Dempsey paced the Terriers with 13 points, one shy of her career-best outing. Sophomore Kelsi Koenig grabbed a team-high six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
Mister finished with nine points, four rebounds, an assist, blocked shot and two steals. She moves within five of tying Ricaye Harris (2001-05) for the school's Division I record.
Strong scored four points and added two rebounds, an assist and steal in her final appearance in the BenJo.
Miller matched her career-best performance with seven assists and added five steals to Wofford's team total of 14.
Weurding blocked the Terriers' only other shot for No. 168 in her career, just one shy of tying Lucy Hines (1997-2001) for the all-time Wofford record.