No. 5 North Carolina 77, Furman 36
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Freshman Cetera DeGraffenreid led two players in double-digit points as the no. 5 UNC Tarheels defeated the Lady Paladins 77-36 on Sunday.
The Tarheels scored first, and kept the lead for the entirety of the game, leading by as much as 33 points in the first half and going into the break with a 42-16 advantage.
The second half saw the Lady Paladins manage to hold the Tarheels’ lead to an average of 30 points, until North Carolina surged ahead in the final minutes of the game, and finished with a score of 77-36.
Freshman guard Cetera DeGraffenreid led the Tarheel offense with 16 points, while Rebecca Gray added 14. Erlena Larkins grabbed 13 rebounds for the Tarheels.
For the Lady Paladins, Courtney Opie and Sarah Baker led with 8 points each, while Katie Johnson topped the team in rebounds with six. The team shot a mere 19.7%, compared to the Tarheels’ 47%.
With the win, the Tarheels continue their undefeated streak and improve their record to 7-0 on the season. Furman drops to 2-3, and will return home on Friday to face Conference USA opponent Rice.
VCU 72, Appalachian State 53
RICHMOND, Va. - Gigi Thomas continued her recent hot streak by shooting 7-for-13 from the floor to lead the Mountaineers with 20 points, but the Appalachian State women's basketball team (1-3) fell 72-53 at VCU on Sunday afternoon. Over her last three games, the sophomore guard has averaged more than 18 points per game.
Robin Colbert opened the game with four of ASU’s first six points before the team fell into a drought and went more than four minutes before scoring again. Thomas came off the bench and led the team with 11 points in just nine minutes of play in the opening stanza. Thomas drained three field goals and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Colbert dished out five assists and finished the game with six points and three rebounds.
Following a Brittany Mixon bucket with 4:19 remaining before the intermission, Thomas earned the next five points for the team from the foul line. The points sparked an 11-4 run to end the half and help the visitors pull within 39-34 at the half. Mixon finished the games with nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
The Rams pulled away in the second half, as they outscored the Apps 33 to 19 after halftime. VCU shot 53.9 percent from the floor in the second half and 50.9 percent for the game. ASU shot 42.4 percent in the first half, but just 37.5 in the second half for a 40.4 mark.
Freshman Taylor Lake played a career-high 23 minutes and led the team with five rebounds, including three on the offensive end. Quanitra Hollingsworth led the Rams with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Whitney Tossie nailed four field goals for eight points in the first half, and added an additional two in the second half to finish with 10 points in the contest. Frances Hernandez made her first career start and drained two shots in the first half. She added a pair of points in the second to finish with six points, two rebounds, two boards and two assists in the game.
Tossie led the team with four steals and added a pair of rebounds and an assist in the contest. ASU finished with 10 assists compared to 22 for the home team.
ASU returns home on Wednesday to face East Carolina at 7 p.m. at the Holmes Center.