Lady Catamounts Advance in Women’s NIT; Sink East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 91-63
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Sparked by an early 14-0 run and a season-best 54 first half points, the Western Carolina Lady Catamounts raced to a double-digit lead six minutes into the game and never let up, advancing to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) with a 91-63 thrashing of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in the Ramsey Center. Four Lady Cats scored in double-figures with five dishing out three-or-more assists in the win.
Western, which ran its school-record seasonal win tally to 24 over nine losses, travels to face the Virginia Tech Hokies (18-14), who garnered a WNIT first-round bye out of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday, March 17. In addition to the power conference foe awaiting the Lady Cats ? who have won 16 of their last 18 games on the year ? there will also be a familiar face on the opposing sideline in former WCU skipper, Beth Dunkenberger, who compiled a 65-50 record in four seasons in Cullowhee.
Tip-off from the Cassell Coliseum is set for 7:00 pm.
"These girls were ready to play," said Western head coach Kellie Harper in the post-game gathering. "Just to be honest, they had been struggling through practice this week. The reason was they wanted to play. It showed, because they had high-energy today."
Junior guards Monique Dawson, Chevon Keith and Ashley Pellom highlighted Western’s performance on Thursday night, combining for 36 points and 18 assists. Dawson led with a game-high tying 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with seven assists and three steals. Pellom likewise dished out seven helpers, including a behind-the-back drop pass to Keith on a fast break that brought the nearly 2,000 purple and gold clad fans to their feet.
Keith finished with eight points and a team-best eight rebounds. Rounding out WCU’s double-digit scorers was sophomore guard Lauren Powell, whose game-opening 3-pointer just nine seconds in to the game set the tone for the night. The Asheville, N.C., native chipped in 11 points, including three treys. Junior Jessika Johnson and sophomore Brooke Johnson each just missed double-figures with nine and eight points, respectively.
In a game that pitted two teams which less than a week earlier had fallen in its championship title match, Western seemed to shake the cob webs first. Tied at seven after the two traded lay-ups and a 3-pointer at the outset, Western held the Lady Bucs scoreless over the next four minutes while embarking on a 14-0 run to take a commanding, 21-7, advantage.
Three consecutive free throws by Devin Thompson pulled ETSU to within 11 at the 11:29 mark, but that was as close as the Buccaneers would get the remainder of the game, with Western leading 54-32, at halftime.
WCU shot a sizzling 61.8-percent (21-34) from the floor in the opening stanza while holding the Buccaneers to 21.1-percent (8-of-38). All told, the Lady Catamounts posted season-highs with 91 points scored, 35 field goals made, 74 field goals attempted, 56 rebounds and 26 assists.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard in Western North Carolina on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee or online at www.catamountsports.com <http://www.catamountsports.com/> .
DAVIDSON FALLS AT UAB IN FIRST ROUND OF WNIT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Davidson women's basketball team's late second-half comeback in their first-ever postseason game fell four points short as the Wildcats dropped an 81-77 contest at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the first-round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament on Thursday evening. Davidson concluded one of the program's best seasons ever with a school-record mark of 23-9. UAB improved to 19-12 and will head to play Auburn, who received a first-round bye, on Sunday, Mar. 18.
Playing in their first-ever postseason game, the senior trio of Jessica Mitchell (Wilkesboro, N.C.), Brynn Kelly (Spokane, Wash.) and Tia Washington (Charlotte, N.C.) looked to give the Wildcats their first career postseason win. Mitchell did all she could to keep the Wildcats in it, draining a career-high 24 points by tying her career-best with nine field goals made and hit four of the Wildcats' 10 three-pointers. Three of her four three-balls came in the second half, including one with 14 seconds on the clock to bring the Wildcats within one, 78-77. She also matched her season-high with seven assists.
Kelly was the only other 'Cat in double figures as she registered her fourth career double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds. Davidson as a team hauled in a game-high 46 boards to win the rebounding margin, 46-39. Washington, the Wildcats' floor general, scored two points before she was injured in the first four minutes of action and did not return.
Trailing by 11 (67-56) with 8:24 left in the game, Davidson started its rally with a three-pointer from Mitchell on the right wing. The shot sparked a 16-5 run over the next five and a half minutes that saw the Wildcats knot things up at 72-all on yet another three-pointer, this time from freshman Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) on the left side. Junior Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) also canned back-to-back shots from downtown in the run and finished the contest with eight points, four boards and three assists.
A quick 5-0 run, three of the points coming from the Blazers' Diamond Rogers, gave UAB back the lead at 77-72 with just 36 seconds on the clock.
Davidson charged right back, getting a fade-away jumper by sophomore Kelly Gassie (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) and Mitchell's three-pointer that closed the gap to one (78-77). Rogers and Britney Jones sealed the Wildcats' hopes though, hitting three of four free throws in the closing seconds and Mitchell's last-second three-pointer was off target for the final score of 81-77.
Davidson used the hot hand of Mitchell in the first half to jump out to an early 11-10 advantage. Mitchell was perfect in the first half, draining all five of her shots from the field, including her only shot from downtown, and had two free throws for 13-first half points. The Wildcats as a team started the contest hitting eight of their first 12 shots, including two three-pointers. They finished the half nailing 15-of-29 shots from the floor for 51.7 percent and closed out the game shooting 44.9 percent.
UAB grabbed the lead back, 12-11, on the next possession on a layup from Shimena Moore and maintained at least a one-point lead all the way into halftime for a score of 39-36.
Sophomore Mercedes Robinson (Mansfield, Texas) assisted off the bench during the Wildcats' second-half comeback with all eight her points coming in the second period. She also hauled in nine rebounds and picked up one of Davidson's season-high five blocks.
The Blazers were led by a trio of scorers in double figures. Carmen Guzman, the Conference USA Player of the Year, had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Jones matched her with 20 as well. Rogers finished with 18 points, seven of the from the charity stripe, and had eight rebounds.