UNCG 68, Appalachian State 61
BOONE, N.C. ? Sophomore Whitney Ketner (Spartanburg, S.C.) recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Appalachian State University women’s basketball team fell to UNC Greensboro, 68-61, in Southern Conference action, Saturday in front of a crowd of 1,255 at the Holmes Center.
Appalachian dropped to 8-9 overall and 2-4 in league play with its third-straight loss. UNC Greensboro improved to 11-6 on the season and
4-2 in the SoCon with the victory.
The Mountaineers won the battle on the boards with 40 compared to the Spartans’ 39. However, 17 of UNCG’s rebounds came on the offensive boards. The conference leader in steals, the Spartans, finished with 13 steals, as they converted 29 points off of the Mountaineers’ 27 turnovers.
Ketner’s 11 boards tied her career high. She added both game and career-highs with four blocks. Junior Whitney Tossie (Oviedo, Fla.) tied a game high with 18 points and added four assists. The nation’s steals leader, Tossie recorded just two steals. Senior Jaime Bennett (Woodstock, Ga.) came one rebound and two points shy of a double-double of her own with nine boards and eight points.
Four Spartans scored in double-digits led by Jasmine Byrd with 18.
Kristen Boone, Meghan Chamberlain and Irene Otamiri added 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Boone finished 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and recorded four steals and four assists. Otamiri led the team with five steals and five rebounds.
After trailing 5-2 and 7-5 to open the game, ASU used a 10-0 run to take an eight point, 15-7 lead with just over 15 and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Trailing 19-13, UNCG pulled within six points off a layup by Byrd at the 11-minute mark.
From that point, free throws by Bennett and a layup by GiGi Thomas (Tallahassee, Fla.) gave the Mountaineers their largest lead of the game of 10 points at 23-13 with 9:45 left in the opening period.
After nearly two minutes of scoreless basketball, Otamiri stole the ball on three-straight ASU possessions as UNCG went on a 7-0 run to pull within three points at 23-20 with 6:20 to go in the opening half.
The Mountaineers turned the ball over on three of their next four possessions to make it five possessions in a row with a turnover as the Spartans extended their run to 11-straight points and took their first lead since the 17:50 mark at 24-23 with five minutes left in the opening period.
Tossie hit one-of-two free throws on the next ASU possession to tie the game up at 24 with 4:47 left in the half. Appalachian couldn’t convert on a Tossie steal, but UNCG took advantage of an offensive rebound on its next possession to take a one-point, 25-24 lead with 4:15 in the half.
The Spartans extended their run to 6-0 at the three minute mark, but a Bennett basket brought it back within four points at 30-26 with two and a half to play in the period. On the next UNCG possession, Boone hit both of her free throw attempts to extend the lead to six once again at
32-26 with 2:15 to go.
After two ASU free throw misses, Byrd converted all three of her free throw attempts on the other end to extend the visitor’s run to 21-3 and its lead to nine points at 35-26 with just over a minute to go in the half.
Two Ketner free throws brought ASU up to 28 points in the half, but Boone hit one-of-two from the charity stripe on UNCG’s next possession for a 36-28 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the period.
Ketner took advantage of a Costner assist for two more points with 20 seconds to go, but Brittany Frazier hit a jumper for the Spartans with 10 seconds remaining in the half to give the visitors a 38-30 halftime lead.
UNCG scored first in the second half at the 19:50 mark off a layup by Chamberlain. The Spartans went back inside to Chamberlain on their next possession and she was able to convert both her free throws to extend the lead to 12 points at 42-30 with 19:10 remaining in the game. Another ASU miss and two UNCG offensive rebounds turned into three more points for Byrd and the Spartans to keep the Mountaineers scoreless in the half and take a 45-30 lead with 18 minutes to go in the contest.
Gini Grimsley hit her first basket of the afternoon, a three-pointer, for UNCG on the next visitor possession as the Spartans began to pull away with an 18-point, 48-33 lead. Ketner was able to finish an old-fashion three-point play on the next ASU possession to cut the lead to 15 points at 48-33 with 17 minutes to play.
Whitney Randolph (Gainesville, Ga.) made her first points of the game off a three pointer at the 15 minute mark to cut the lead to 13 points at 49-36.
Both teams combined for a four minute scoring drought until Carleena Costner hit a jumper at the 10:50 mark to pull within nine points at 49-38. Otamiri recorded a steal and converted it for an old-fashion three-point play for a UNCG 52-38 lead with 10:25 to go in the game.
Junior Maria Grimes (Birmingham, Ala.) was able to hit both her free throws on the next Appalachian possession, but Chamberlain hit a layup of her own to keep UNCG’s 14-point lead at 54-40. After the Mountaineers’ 21st turnover of the game, Grimes took the charge and forced Boone to the bench with her fourth foul of the game, giving ASU the ball back. Bennett took advantage with her third field goal of the game as the home team cut the lead to 12 points at 54-42 with nine minutes to go.
After each team put up two more points, Tossie converted on both ends of a one-and-one as ASU cut the lead to 12 once again at 46-58 with just under six minutes to play. UNCG responded on the next possession to bring the lead back to 14 at 60-46 with just over five minutes left.
Appalachian scored six unanswered points in the next two minutes to pull within eight points at 60-52 to force a UNC Greensboro timeout with 3:15 to go in the game. Tossie cut the lead to six points at 60-54 at the
1:55 mark as she drove into the paint for the bucket.
After an ASU free throw, UNCG scored on its next possession and grabbed the rebound to regain possession. Thomas fouled out to put Boone on the line to shoot two free throws with a 62-53 lead and just over 30 seconds on the clock. Boone converted on both to extend the lead to nine at 64-53.
Tossie took the ball down the court for ASU and put in her first three-pointer of the game to cut the lead to six points at 64-58 with 25 seconds to go. After an ASU timeout, the Mountaineers looked to put the Spartans on the line as Tossie fouled out with her fifth foul of the game and put Byrd on the line to shoot two. Byrd hit both, but a Costner three-pointer pulled ASU within five points with just under four seconds to go at 66-61.
Two more free throws in the final seconds gave the Spartans a 68-61 lead as the held on for the victory.
The Mountaineers remain at home as they host Wofford, Tuesday, January
16 at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Center.
Western Carolina 80, Chattanooga 72 (OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Western Carolina overcame a 10-point second half deficit and outscored the Lady Mocs 11-3 in overtime to claim an 80-72 win at the McKenzie Arena Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Mocs (11-6, 4-2 SoCon) led by as much as 14 in the first half, but a 12-4 run by Western Carolina (10-7, 4-2 SoCon) in the final minutes of the stanza cut the deficit to four at 37-33 at intermission. Chattanooga pushed its lead back to double-digits at the start of the second half, outscoring Western Carolina 11-5 to lead 48-38 at the 16:33 mark, but the Lady Cats would chip away at that lead.
Western Carolina’s Monique Dawson followed a layup with a steal and drew a foul to hit two free throws sparking a 12-0 run over the next five minutes. Her layup with 11:34 to play gave the Cats its first lead of the game at 50-48.
The lead changed hands nine times over the next five minutes before the Lady Mocs would take charge, going up 67-61 with just over four minutes to play. However, the remainder of the period would belong to Western Carolina who outscored Chattanooga 8-2 to force the Lady Mocs into their first overtime game this season. A last second shot for Chattanooga didn’t get a chance to fall as the shot clock expired with three seconds left in the game.
In overtime, Chattanooga scored first. Alex Anderson converted on a three-point play, hitting a layup and the ensuing free throw, for a career-high 34 points, but Chattanooga wouldn’t score again as the Catamounts reeled off 11 points for the win.
Anderson tallied her 10th double-double of the season with 10 rebounds and became the first player since 2001 to score 30 points or more in a game. She went 14-for-29 from the floor and was 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Laura Hall, with four assists, was the only other UTC player in double digits with 13 points, making 6-of-15, but hitting just 1-of-3 free throws.
The Lady Mocs went 0-7 from the 3-point line in the first half and made just three in the contest for a season-low 15% performance making 3-of-20. The loss for Chattanooga marks the first time since the 1998-99 season that the Lady Mocs have lost three games at home as well as back-to-back conference games.
Chattanooga won the rebounding battle 41-38, but was outscored by the WCU bench 27-15. The Lady Mocs went 28-for-69 (40.6%) from the floor and was 13-of-16 from the free throw line for an 81.3 percent performance.
Five Western Carolina players would score in double-figures paced by Dawson’s 24. Ashley Pellom tossed in 13 and had a game-high six assists with five rebounds and Lauren Powell, making two 3-pointers, chipped in 12 points. Chevon Keith had 11 points and six boards while transfer Brooke Johnson scored 10 points with two blocked shots.
The Lady Mocs will stay home to host Furman Monday at 7 p.m. at the Roundhouse. Listen to the “Voice of the Lady Mocs” Larry Ward with all the action live on WDOD-AM 1310 or online around the world at the official website of UTC athletics, www.GoMocs.com.
Furman 48, Wofford 40
Greenville, S.C. -- Katie Johnson led Furman with eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds and Furman cme from behind to defeat Wofford 48-40 on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena. With the win, Furman snaps its six-game losing streak and picks up its first conference win of the season.
Johnson, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, made just one field goal, but converted all six of her free throw attempts to lead Furman. She also grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and tied a career-high with four blocked shots.
No Lady Paladins reached double-figures in points for the first time this season, but all 10 Furman players that saw the floor broke into the scoring column. Furman made good on 21-of-29 free throw attempts (72.4%), while Woffrd made just 9-of-18 from the charity stripe.
After taking a 25-16 lead into the intermission, Wofford started the second half with a 15-1 run to take a 31-26 lead just four minutes into the period. But Furman was able to chip away at the lead with timely scoring and solid defense, holding Wofford without a field goal for more than 14 minutes.
Four straight free throws by Jessica Lange and Lee Stephens, followed by a Lange jumpshot gave Furman the lead for good at the 10:06 mark. The Lady Paladins made 6-of-8 free throws inside the last two minutes to hold on for the eight point victory.
Liz Miller led the way for the Terriers with a game-high 16 points, including 7-for-10 from the free throw line. She also added a team-leading three assists, while Jennifer Weurding added three blocked shots.
The first half was low-scoring as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Furman built a 10-point lead at the 5:40 mark when a Kali Holtfreter three-pointer gave Furman an 18-8 lead. Weurding answered with a trey of her own, and jumpshots by Miller and Kate Dempsey cut the lead to 20-15 with four minutes left in the half.
With the win, Furman improves to 6-11 on the season, 1-5 in the Southern Conference. Wofford evens its record at 8-8 overall, 2-4 in conference action. The Lady Paladins return to action on Monday as Furman travels to face Chattanooga at 7:00 p.m. at McKenzie Arena.
Davidson 69, Georgia Southern 51
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern’s Carolyn Whitney led all scorers with 14 points, but Davidson’s depth proved to be too much as the Wildcats defeated the Lady Eagles 69-51, Saturday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Davidson’s reserves produced 32 points, compared to GSU’s 12, and with the win, the Wildcats improve to 14-3 overall and 5-1 in Southern Conference play.
The Lady Eagles fall to 7-10 overall and 2-4 in league action after dropping its first of a three-game homestand in Statesboro.
Three Wildcats scored in double-digits, including starter Jessica Mitchell who paced Davidson with 13 points. Off the bench, Honna Housley and Julia Paquette added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“Our bench was on the floor,” said head coach Rusty Cram noting the absence of key players from the usual GSU lineup. “We had nothing to go to.”
“(Davidson’s bench) did a good job. They played hard, they’re well-coached and they took advantage of the opportunities.”
The Lady Eagles got up on the scoreboard first with a short jumper off the glass from Concella Henry (Manning, S.C.), who made her first start of the season.
Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) grabbed a pair of steals in the first five minutes of the game, one leading to her own fast break layup, and a second assisting Ashley Melson’s layup on the run. The freshman guard had five steals on the night, leading to six GSU fast break points.
“I thought she played hard,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “She’s just getting better and better. People are throwing their best at her.”
Carolyn Whitney also had a perfect performance from the charity stripe, hitting all four of her attempts.
Chequilla Jessie’s layup with 14:05 remaining in first half gave the Lady Eagles a 10-9 lead, when ended up being their last advantage over Davidson for the remainder of the contest.
The Wildcats quickly turned things around with a 10-0 scoring run over just 22 seconds, including five made free throws, plus a three-pointer off the hands of an open Housley, and Davidson found themselves up 19-10 with 13:24 remaining in the first stanza.
Davidson worked their way up to a 13-point, 26-13 lead capped by Tia Washington’s jumper with 8:08 on the clock.
Georgia Southern rallied back to within six points topped off by Elise Whitney’s (Duluth, Ga.) three-pointer with 1:32 on the clock.
But a pair of Davidson free-throws and a bucket saw the Wildcats build up a 39-29 advantage going into the locker room, connecting on 14-of-26
(.538) field goals, compared to Georgia Southern’s 11-of-29 (.379) shooting in the first half. Both teams hit three trifectas apiece, but Davidson’s 8-of-10 free-throw shooting bettered GSU’s 4-of-5 from the line, and Davidson’s bench outscored the Georgia Southern, 23-4.
To start out the second half, a steal by Carolyn Whitney led to a fast break layup cutting the Davidson lead down to eight points.
But over the next 4:39, Davidson answered back with a 9-2 scoring run topped off by Mandy Halbersleben’s layup off a rebound and fast break.
On three other occasions, the Lady Eagles closed the gap to under 10 points, thanks in part to GSU’s performance from the charity stripe.
Georgia Southern stayed composed from the free-throw line, making 7-of-8 in the second half, and 11-of-13 (.846) for the game.
But Davidson shot equally as well as the Lady Eagles in the free-throw department, hitting 8-of-9 from the line, and 16-of-19 (.842) total.
The Wildcats successfully fended off GSU’s attempts to reclaim the lead it once held early in the game, as Davidson went on an 11-4 run over the remaining six minutes of the contest, claiming an 18-point lead.
Rounding out the Lady Eagles performance was junior forward Chequilla Jessie and sophomore Ashley Melson who each scored nine populled down five rebounds, apiece. Concella Henry and Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) pulled down five rebounds, apiece as well.
Head coach Rusty Cram and the Lady Eagles will play its second of a three-game homestand, Monday, January 15 at Hanner Fieldhouse versus Western Carolina. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
College of Charleston 63, Elon 34
Erika Smith tallied a game-leading 12 points as the College of Charleston women’s basketball team held Elon to just 11 points in the first half and took the eventual 63-34 win in front of 447 fans this afternoon at the John Kresse Arena.
CofC improves to 8-8 overall and 4-2 in the Southern Conference, while Elon drops to 7-9 and 2-4.
Elon led 6-5 with 15:50 to go in the half before the Cougars took the 7-6 edge off a jumper by Erika Smith with 15:25. The Phoenix did not score again for over nine minutes, while CofC exploded on offense and racked up 19 straight points to lead 26-6 with 6:10 to go before intermission. The 19-0 run was led by Sarah Moye with all of her six first-half points coming during the stretch. Elon only scored five more points the rest of the half as Charleston went into the locker room with the 32-11 lead.
Charleston shot 48.1 percent from the fielding the half and held Elon to just 22.7 percent. The Cougars held the 21-12 advantage in rebounds and was three-for-six from three-point range.
The second half was more of the same as Elon shot just 25.9 percent, compared to 38.5 for the Cougars. Charleston kept the margin to above 20 for most of the second half and even led by as many as 31 on several occasions and took the eventual 29-point 63-34 win.
For the game the Cougars shot 43.4, while the Phoenix shot 24.5 percent for the game. It was the lowest output of the year Cougar opponents have been held to. The 34 points was the second fewest points that Elon has scored since moving to Division I in 1999.
Charleston was six-for-12 from the three-point arc while Elon was 0-for-10, marking the first time in 187 games that the team was held without a three-pointer. The last time was Nov. 18, 2000.
Elon was 10-for-17 from the free-throw line, while Charleston was 11-for-21. The Cougars had the 44-32 advantage in rebounds.
Following Smith with her 12 points was Nikki Williams with her nine points. Smith also led with eight rebounds. All but one Cougar scored in the game. Amber Wall and Nicole Allison both led Elon scoring with six points apiece. Wall also led in rebounds with six.
Charleston hosts UNC Greensboro, Jan. 15th at 4:30 p.m., while Elon hosts Davidson Tuesday, Jan. 16th at 7:00 p.m.