UNC Wilmington 73, Elon 68
WILMINGTON, N.C. - A three-pointer from senior Nicole Allison made it a two-point game with 2:11 left to play but the Phoenix couldn't muster the offense necessary to take the lead as UNC Wilmington improved to 4-0 on the season with a 73-68 win.
Down 37-29 at the half, the Phoenix shot 50% from the floor (14-of-28) before the halftime break, led by Davis's six points (three-of-four). Davis finished the outing with a double-double, posting a season-high 14 points and dishing out 10 assists.
Elon (1-5) shot 88.9% from the charity stripe in the contest, sinking eight-of-nine in the second half after not making a trip to the free throw line in the first 20 minutes. Tiffany Davis went three-of-four from the line, while Urysla Cotton and Allison were each a perfect two-of-two.
"That's the kind of free throw shooting you look for," said head coach Brenda Paul. "That's what helps you win ball games."
The Phoenix was led on the boards by sophomore Urysla Cotton's seven rebounds, with classmate Amber Wall added five. Elon out-rebounded the Seahawks 14-12 in the second half, grabbing 25 off the glass in the game.
"I thought our defense played really well, especially in the second half," added Paul. "We really won the second half, beating them on the boards and outscoring them. We've got to work on getting our offense going because our defense is there."
Junior Kitara McMoore led the Phoenix with a team-high 15 points, scoring 11 in the second half, including Elon's first seven points of the frame.
Tierra Bumbrey and Allison also reached double digits for Elon, adding 13 and 10 points, respectively. Bumbrey sank three treys in the second half and logged four steals over the course of the game.
Sahsha Taylor led all players, posting 19 points for the Seahawks, while Brittany Blackwell and Greta Kuksyte each netted 15.
Elon will host Lynchburg Wednesday, Nov. 28 in a 7 p.m. tip.
Davidson 69, Charlotte 53
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte placed three players in double figures, led by Danielle Burgin's double-double, and the 49ers took the battle of two cross-country rivals by the score of 69-53 over the Davidson Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at Halton Arena in women's basketball action. Davidson, who had two players score in double digits, fell to an even .500 at 2-2, while Charlotte won its second straight to improve to 2-5.
Junior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) registered her second straight double-double, finishing with team bests of 16 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Wildcat scoring. The double-double was Robinson's fifth of her career.
Freshman Kelsey Cary (San Anselmo, Calif.) came off the bench to drop in 13 points in 24 minutes for her third double-figure game of the season.
It wasn't enough though, as Burgin led all scorers with 18 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for Charlotte. It was her fourth double-double of the year and it marked the sixth time in the first seven games she has hit for double figures. Traci Ray and Sabrina Gregory each finished with 13 points and combined for 11 assists.
Neither team shot particularly well from the field in the first half as Davidson missed 22 of its first 30 shots (23.7 percent), while Charlotte made just 12 of its 32 attempts (37.5 percent). The Wildcats shot better in the second half at a 41.4 percent, but finished just 20-for-59 for the game.
Senior Honna Housley (Riceville, Tenn.) knotted things up at 9-all with 12:17 left in the period, but Charlotte broke open the half with a 17-4 run to double up Davidson at 26-13 over the next eight minutes of play. Seven different 49ers scored during the eight-minute run.
Before the end of the half, Robinson cut the Charlotte lead to eight, 31-23, with a free throw, but a Ray three-pointer with 42 seconds left allowed the 49ers to take a 34-23 lead into halftime.
The second half was a half of missed opportunities for Davidson as it seemed every time it made a run, Charlotte answered with two quick buckets to maintain a double-digit lead and control the pace of the game. After Charlotte pushed its lead out to 14 at 38-24 to open the new stanza, the Wildcats chipped away to cut the advantage down to 42-36 on back-to-back three-balls from senior Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) and sophomore Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) with 15:02 remaining.
Point guard Thompson had another solid game, pouring in eight points, dishing out five assists and contributing three boards in 37 minutes of play. Hemerka finished with six points and six boards.
But as soon as Davidson had some momentum, Charlotte used a 10-4 run to push the lead back out to 12 (52-40) with 11:21 left in the contest.
Later, Robinson and Cary each hit buckets inside to cut the lead to under double digits again, but Charlotte countered with two layups of its own to push the lead back to 12.
Cary brought the 'Cats within nine with two free throws (58-49) with 5:09 on the clock, but that was as close as Davidson would get the rest of the way. Charlotte used an 11-3 run to finish out the scoring and take home the 69-53 win.
Part of the Charlotte's counter attack against Davidson in the second half was its speed as the 49ers finished with 20 fast-break points, 12 of them in the second period.
Davidson returns home for the first time this season as it opens a three-game homestand at Belk Arena against conference foe Georgia Southern on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m in its first Southern Conference game of the 2007-08 campaign. The game will be the earliest the Wildcats have opened conference play since the 2004-05 team played the Eagles on Nov. 27.
UNC Asheville 77, UNC Greensboro 70
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? Despite having two players in double-digits, UNCG fell 77-70 to UNC Asheville in the consolation game of the 2007 UNCG Thanksgiving Classic Saturday afternoon in Fleming Gym. UNCG’s Jasmine Dixon was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts throughout the weekend.
“We were in this game,” said head coach Lynne Agee. “We had plenty of opportunities to win the game but down the stretch we couldn’t maintain our momentum or our composure. We will have to rebound as we have another game in a few days and we have no choice but to play better.”
Jasmine Dixon tallied her first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor to lead UNCG (0-5). Freshman Monique Floyd was also in double-figures with a career-high 13 points. Meghan Chamberlain and Floyd each tallied seven rebounds in the loss.
The Spartans shot 41.4 percent from the floor on 24-of-58 shooting and tallied a season high 47 rebounds in the loss. UNCG also collected a game-high 12 steals.
Ashton Barton tallied a game-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor to lead UNC Asheville (4-2). Lindsey Montgomery and Jessica Monroe were also in double-figures with 13 and 14 points, respectively. Monroe and Montgomery also had six rebounds in the win.
UNCG started the second half with a 6-2 run and was able to extend their lead to 46-39 at the first media timeout. Asheville was able to cut the lead to 46-41 on a set piece out of the timeout but UNCG responded with a bucket to keep the lead.
The Bulldogs were able to get it going from behind the arc as Chioma Okoli and Barton hit back to back three-pointers as Asheville cut the UNCG lead to 54-51 at the 11:37 mark. Both teams couldn’t seem to find the bucket but UNCG was able to capitalize on several Asheville miscues at the free throw line and Kemena Brooks drained a three-pointer to give UNCG a 10-point lead, their largest of the afternoon, midway through the half.
Asheville wouldn’t go away and was able to cut the lead again to 63-59 with a bucket from Barton. The teams continued to match each other possession for possession but it was Asheville that got the hot hand down the stretch. Okoli hit Asheville’s sixth triple of the half triple of the night to cut the UNCG lead to one point with a little over six minutes remaining.
The team’s traded free throws but UNCG found themselves behind by five points with just over a minute to play. The Spartans tried to get back in the game but couldn’t stop Asheville down the stretch and dropped their fifth consecutive game.
UNCG got off to a quick start and hit their first shot, a jumper from Gini Grimsley take an early 2-0 lead but a foul on the ensuing possession and two free throws from Asheville’s Jessica Monroe tied the game. Asheville took a 4-2 lead with a bucket in the paint, but the Spartans used a bucket from Jasmine Dixon in the paint to take a 7-4 lead before an UNCA basket cut the lead to one point at the first media timeout of the half.
The teams battled for the next several minutes before Asheville was able to get a little momentum going and went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-11 lead at the 12:52 mark.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 18-13 midway through the half but the Spartans turned up the defense and cut the lead to three points with a layup from Jasmine Dixon. The Bulldogs responded with a bucket to keep the lead at four points at the 8:39 mark.
UNCG kept pressing and a three-pointer from Ashley Ling, the first of her career, cut the lead to four points and a blocking foul on the other end coupled with two free throws from Monique Floyd cut the lead to 23-21. The Spartans regained the lead on a three-pointer from Grimsley and forced several UNCA miscues to keep the lead.
UNCA to cut the lead to 30-27 but a bucket from Sharniece Wadelington kept the lead with the Spartans. Asheville’s Lindsey Montgomery hit a bucket from the right side to cut the lead to 32-29 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half but a UNCG bucket and a Asheville foul with seconds remaining gave UNCG a 36-33 lead at the break.
UNCG held a 25-15 rebounding advantage and shot a season-high 42.3 percent from the field in the first half. Senior forward Jasmine Dixon led the Spartans at the break with 12 points and 10 rebounds at the break. The Spartans were also perfect from the charity stripe.
The Spartans will conclude their three-game homestand when they host Charlotte in non-conference action on Wednesday Nov. 28. Tip off is set for 7 pm in Fleming Gym.
UT San Antonio 72, Georgia Southern 52
SAN ANTONIO ? Shawnda Atwood and Ashley Rivens combined for 31 points, but a Georgia Southern rally in the second half couldn’t close the gap as UTSA claimed a 72-52 win at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic, Saturday night.
Georgia Southern falls to 2-4 overall after dropping both tournament games. UTSA keeps an unblemished record at 5-0 overall with the home win.
Georgia Southern was led in points by senior guard Shawnda Atwood (Pensacola, Fla.) with a season-best 18 points, who was also named to the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic all-tournament team among four others.
Junior Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, N.C.) followed with a season-high 13 points and sophomore forward Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) dropped 10.
UTSA’s Terrie Davis led all scorers with 24 points, while Amanda Foster and Monica Gibbs dropped 16 and 15 points, respectively. Gibbs pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to round out her double-double performance.
In first-half action, the Lady Eagles jumped out to an early 11-4 lead capped by a three-pointer by Geiger with 16:43 on the clock.
But UTSA responded with a 14-0 run highlighted by a triple by Terrie Davis to give the Roadrunners an 18-11 advantage with 8:42 remaining in the first half.
The Roadrunners extended the lead by as many as 15 points in the first half, and went into the locker room with a 40-25 advantage.
“Once we get a lead, we have a hard time sustaining it,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “If we get behind, it’s hard to catch up. Then you are playing catch up and you use up all your energy to catch up.”
Geiger led the team with 10 points at the break on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. UTSA’s Amanda Foster led the Roadrunners with 12 points. As a team, UTSA shot a blazing 59.3 percent (16-27) from the field, while Georgia Southern struggled with 37.0 percent shooting on 10-of-27 attempts.
Georgia Southern turned the momentum back in their favor to start off the second half, thanks to a 12-3 run highlighted by Atwood’s nine points during a 4:23 stretch. Ashley Melson’s (Newnan, Ga.) jumper with 11:03 on the clock closed the gap to just four points, 43-39. Atwood scored 11 of her 18 points in the second half.
But the Lady Eagles were unable to sustain the momentum and UTSA maintained the lead it gained at the 9:47 mark in the first half to hold on for the victory.
UTSA led the Lady Eagles in the rebounds category, 34-27, and scored 11 second-chance points. Georgia Southern scored 18 points off of UTSA’s 11 turnovers, compared to the Roadrunners’ 15 points.
But UTSA bettered GSU shooting 51.0 percent (26-51) from the field, while the Lady Eagles connected on 36.5 percent (19-52) of their field goal attempts.
“It was a great start and they came out focused,” said Cram of the team’s start at each half. “They were ready to play. But we had no bench points. You can’t sustain leads when you don’t get production off the bench. You have to have people contribute.”
Georgia Southern will continue their three-game road trip at Davidson to open up Southern Conference play, Thursday, November 29 at 7 p.m.
Louisville 80, Chattanooga 53
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Lady Mocs fell 80-53 to Louisville Saturday night in the Championship Game of the 2007 Panera Bread Challenge at the McKenzie Arena.
Tournament MVP, Angel McCoughtry, bookended a 30-2 run that turned a one-point Chattanooga lead into a 27-point deficit for the host team over a 10:30 period in the second frame. Laura Hall hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Lady Mocs their last lead of the game at 46-45 with 14:01 to play. It would be more than six-and-a-half minutes before UTC would score again.
McCoughtry scored 15 of the 30 Cardinal points in the run to finish with a game-high 26 on 10-of-15 from the floor. She had a team-best six rebounds and 10 steals with a pair of assists in 27 minutes. Chauntise Wright went 7-for-9 for 14 points as the only other Louisville player in double digits.
Brooke Hand found her shot early in the game making back-to-back 3-pointers to start the game. She had five in the first half and ended with six on 15 attempts for a team0high 18 points. Alex Anderson had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Mocs while Erin Ogan hit the double-digit mark with 10 points. Laura Hall, with 11 assists, nearly tied her career-high mark of 12.
Chattanooga jumped out to an early 13-4 lead as the 3-pointers were falling early, but saw that slip away when Louisville scored 11 straight points to take a 15-13 lead three minutes later. The Cardinals advantage would climb as high as 10 points, but the Lady Mocs battled back into the contest with a 17-7 run to close out the final 5:19 of the half.
Hand hit three of her treys in the run and Jenaya Wade-Fray drained her second at the buzzer to tie the game at 35-35 at halftime. The Lady Mocs found the perimeter shot making 13 three-pointers on the night, nine in the first half, after making just four last night.
Louisville outrebounded the Lady Mocs 38-28 and shot 57.9 percent for the game.
Chattanooga will host Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m., in the first half of a doubleheader as the men will take on East Tennessee immediately following. Call the McKenzie Arena box office at 423-266-6627 or go online to avoid the line at the official website of UTC athletics at www.GoMocs.com.
All-Tournament Team
Delaware ? Vanessa Kabongo
Murray State ? Amber Guffey
Chattanooga ? Alex Anderson, Brooke Hand
Louisville ? Candyce Bingham
Tournament MVP
Louisville, Angel McCoughtry