Western Carolina 77, Middle Tennessee State 71
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. ? Prolific free throw shooting and a strong presence on the boards pushed Western Carolina women’s basketball (5-1) past Middle Tennessee (3-3), 77-71, Sunday in the Murphy Center. Junior Brooke Johnson tallied her second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
It was a nip and tuck game all afternoon but it was the Lady Catamounts cool and calm performance at the charity stripe that was the difference in the game. Western Carolina was 16-of-23 from the free throw line in the second half and 25-of-35 for the game.
Free throws were the key down the stretch, as WCU clung to a three point lead, 70-67, with 4:18 remaining. The Lady Catamounts didn’t connect on a field goal in the final four minutes but Middle Tennessee put Western Carolina on the line, thanks to fouls, 10 times and WCU players drained seven. The clutch free throw shooting kept the Blue Raiders at bay as the club only hit two field goals in that four minute span.
As crucial as the production at the charity stripe was, the other glaring stat came from Western Carolina’s rebounding advantage. The Lady Catamounts doubled up the Blue Raiders on the glass pulling down 53 rebounds to Middle Tennessee’s 27.
It was a tight game through out the first half. Western Carolina led by as much as nine points in the first 20 minutes before Middle Tennessee made a run near the end of the half. The lead changed five times in the first half and the score was tied six times. Perhaps the biggest tie came in the final five seconds when Lauren Powell hit a jumper to tie the game at 37 going into the locker room.
The second half was a true battle on the court. Both teams traded baskets early in the second half and after the 13th tie of the game, 54-54, Middle Tennessee built a four point lead with 10:51 remaining. Western Carolina battled back and took a one point lead thanks to a jumper by Kristen Feemster and Powell expanded the lead with a huge three-pointer from the right side to give the Lady Catamounts a 62-58 advantage.
Middle Tennessee would pull within one, 62-61, with 7:13 remaining but would never tie or retake the lead for the remainder of the game. Western Carolina had as much as a seven point lead in the final four minutes and relied on their free throw shooting to clinch the win.
Including Johnson’s 12 points there were three Lady Catamounts who scored in double figures in the contest. Powell had a season-high 17 points and Monique Dawson had 14, with 12 of her points coming from a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Senior Chevon Keith pulled down 11 rebounds, the fourth time in six games she has had a double figure rebounding performance.
Western Carolina returns home on Saturday December 8 to host Wake Forest. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in the Ramsey Center.
Davidson 68, Winthrop 63
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Davidson senior Honna Housley (Riceville, Tenn.) scored seven of her 13 points in the final 1:23 to lead the Wildcats to a 68-63 non-conference women's basketball victory over the Winthrop Eagles as head coach Annette Watts became the all-time winningest coach in program history on Sunday afternoon at John M. Belk Arena.
Davidson won its second straight at home, and fourth overall dating back to last year, to run its season record to 4-2. Winthrop saw its three-game winning streak come to an end as it fell to 6-3.
The Wildcats gave Watts her 103rd career win as she passed John Filar (102) to improve to 103-79 in her seven years at Davidson. The win also moved Watts' record against Winthrop to a perfect 4-0 and marked the eighth straight win overall in the all-time series for Davidson.
Housley led four scorers in double figures for the Wildcats, the first time this season they have accomplished the feat. Junior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) posted 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore Julia Paquette (Stockbridge, Ga.) scored 10 points. Fellow sophomore Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
Ashley Fann and Shanice Cole led Winthrop with 12 points each, while Franchesca Davenport added 11.
The game came down to the last two minutes. With the score tied 59-59, Winthrop's Yvonne van Daalen penetrated and fed Cole for an easy layup with two seconds left on the shot clock. Housley answered with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Thompson nailed a mid-range jumper as Davidson took a 64-61 lead with 38.9 seconds left.
Following a Davidson timeout, Danielle Hemerka (9 points, 8 rebounds) stole the inbounds pass, and the Eagles were forced to foul. Housley hit both free throws to make the margin 66-61. Winthrop's Ashley Haugtvedt scored on a putback layup with 17.8 seconds left, and the Eagles were forced to foul again. Housley hit two more from the charity stripe, making the score 68-63, and the Eagles missed on a three-point try to finish the contest.
With Davidson trailing 36-35, Robinson and Monica Laune (Ashland, Neb.) canned three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor. Paquette added a putback and Housley hit a jumper to give the Wildcats a 45-36 lead, their biggest of the game, midway through the second half.
Trailing 51-42, the Eagles used a 10-2 spurt to get back in the game, and a three-point play by Fann made the score 53-52 with 5:26 to go. van Daalen nailed a trey from the wing, her first points of the second half, to put Winthrop back on top at 57-55.
The game's first eight minutes featured a defensive struggle as Davidson took a 10-5 advantage. The Wildcats held Winthrop to 2-for-13 shooting from the floor during the stretch.
The Eagles heated up, and a Tiffany Rodd three-ball gave Winthrop its first lead of the game at 19-16 with 7:41 left in the first half. That sparked a
10-2 run, which gave the Eagles a 26-18 cushion with 5:02 remaining.
Hemerka answered with four straight points for Davidson, and a Robinson three-pointer from the wing made the margin 26-25 at the break. The two made shots from behind the arc for the game by Robinson were a career-high.
The Winthrop defense held Davidson without a field goal for the first 6:58, and the Eagles built an early 35-30 second-half cushion. Hemerka converted a conventional three-point play, and Honna Housley scored on a layup to tie the score 35-35 with 11:46 left in the contest.
Davidson is back in action at home Thursday, Dec. 6, when the 'Cats host East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. in John M. Belk Arena.
Game Notes: Housley's 13 points all came in the second half... This is the second contest of a three-game homestand for the Wildcats... Davidson has now won seven straight games in the month of December, dating back to last season... Robinson's string of three straight double-doubles came to an end.