UNC Greensboro 95, Guilford 42
GREENSBORO, NC ? Gini Grimsley led four UNC Greensboro players in double figures and every Spartan that played scored as UNCG downed visiting Guilford College in exhibition women’s basketball action Saturday, 95-42.
Grimsley scored a game-high 15 points, while Kristen Boone, Sarah Folwell and TaShama Banner notched 10 each for the Spartans.
Ann Seufer led the Quakers with 14 points.
Grimsley got the scoring going with a 3-pointer two minutes in, and Boone had six points as UNCG jumped out to a 17-0 lead before Seufer’s triple got Guilford on the board with 14:51 to play in the opening frame.
UNCG methodically stretched its lead to 31 points at 41-10 before the Quakers closed the half on an 8-5 run to make it 46-18 at intermission. Boone, Grimsley and Kendra Smith each had eight points for the Spartans in the first half.
With its reserves on the floor for much of the second half, UNCG continued to pour it on. Freshman Agneta Morkunaite scored all nine of her points in the second frame, while Banner had seven of her 10 after the break.
In addition to everyone getting into the scorebook, each of UNCG’s 13 players that suited up saw at least 10 minutes of action with the exception of freshman Christina Weaver, who just missed with nine.
The Spartans opened the second half on an 18-6 run, with Grimsley the catalyst with seven in the spurt, to stretch the lead to 42 points. Morkunaite’s layup with 1:08 to play gave UNCG its biggest lead of the day at 92-39.
Boone, returning to the lineup after missing all but six minutes of last season with a knee injury, looked solid in her return, notching four assists and sharing game-high honors with five steals.
Guilford’s Jessica Casto also had five points to go with her five assists.
Sophomore Monique Floyd, UNCG’s lone returning starter from last season, scored six points and dished out a game-high six assists.
UNCG opens its season at 6 p.m. Friday when it will visit the ACC’s Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Elon 94, MI Express 40
ELON, N.C. ? Julie Taylor poured in a game-high 24 points and Amber Wall pulled down a contest-best 14 rebounds as Elon upended MI Express 94-40 in women’s basketball exhibition action Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gym.
Taylor connected on nine of her 12 attempts from the floor, including four of her six shots from three-point land, as the Phoenix fired 52.1 percent (37 of 71) from the field and 35.7 percent (5 of 14) from beyond the arc. Taylor played 26 minutes, averaging almost a point per minute.
Elon never trailed, beginning with Taylor’s trey 14 seconds into contest and ending with Gabby Oloye’s lay-in with 1:18 left to play, soaring to a 55-10 halftime cushion and never looking back. The Phoenix held the Express to 18.9-percent shooting (14 of 74) from the field, including 15.4-percent marksmanship (4 of 26) from downtown.
Elon established commanding advantages in rebounding (63-41), assists (16-7), turnovers (18-21), blocked shots (8-3), steals (8-6), points in the paint (48-12), points off turnovers (24-8), second-chance points (9-5) and points off the bench (38-17).
Aiesha Harper (14 points, five assists), Ursyla Cotton (12 points, nine rebounds, game-high six blocked shots), Tiffany Davis (nine points, game-high six assists) and Jess Luedkte (nine points) all turned in key performances as all 13 Phoenix players who saw action scored.
For the Express, Latora King scored nine points, Juel Woodard tallied eight points, Candice Edwards snagged a game-high four steals and Leia Roach ripped off a team-leading nine caroms and deflected two shots.
Elon will open its regular season when Winston-Salem State visits Alumni Gym at 7 p.m. Friday in the ISES Cancer Awareness Tipoff women’s basketball tournament. UNC Wilmington and Longwood will face off at 5 p.m. Friday to open the annual event.
Davidson 75, Mars Hill 48
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year senior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) led three Wildcats in double figures with a double-double as the Davidson women's basketball team opened up the 2008-09 season with a 75-48 exhibition victory over visiting Mars Hill College on Sunday at John M. Belk Area.
Robinson tallied a game-high 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and drained a couple of free throws, while hauling in 10 rebounds. The senior post player is the top returning scorer for the Wildcats as well as in the SoCon after averaging 12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds a game last year.
Also hitting double digits for Davidson was starters Julia Paquette (Stockbridge, Ga.) and Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The duo hooked up to start the game as Paquette fed Thompson from the blocks for a three-pointer on the right wing, and Davidson raced out to a 13-2 lead with a little over three minutes into the half. Thompson drained two three balls in that opening scoring burst and finished 4-of-7 behind the arc. She also filled the stat sheet with a game-high six assists and pulled down seven boards.
Davidson, which scored on five of its first six possessions to open the contest, pushed its lead out to 21 when Paquette and Robinson scored a combined 10 points during a five-minute stretch to put the score at 30-9 with 4:27 remaining in the half.
Back-to-back three-pointers by the Lions Bria Smith and Brittini Young of Mars Hill brought the score to 37-18, before the Wildcats netted the last four points for a 41-18 lead at halftime. The 'Cats' defense held the Lions scoreless during two five-minute stretches in the half on their way to the 23-point lead.
The second half gave some of the Wildcat freshmen a chance to get see some extended time on the floor as three of the four newcomers played a role in the half.
Kristen Johnsen (Wayne, Pa.) and Logan Hartman (New Wilmington, Pa.) scored eight points and hauled in eight boards combined in the second half to provide the offense and defense on the blocks. Johnsen had a good start to her collegiate career, finishing the contest with nine points and seven boards in 17 minutes off the bench.
Guard Amanda Ottaway (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), the third freshman to play in the half, chipped in with two points and a board, while dishing out an assist.
Davidson would lead by as many as 29 points the rest of the way in cruising to the 75-48 exhibition win.
The Lions were led by three players who scored in double figures, paced by Young's 14 points. Three of the guards' four buckets on the afternoon came from downtown. Also hitting the double-digit mark in points was Shamia Terry (10) and Jessica Blanford (10). Terry nearly had a triple-double as she closed out the game with nine boards and six assists.
The Wildcats will now gear up for the start of the 2008-09 regular season when they hit the road for their first six games. The 'Cats start at the Winthrop Hilton Garden Inn Classic, Nov. 15-16, where they will play Winthrop (3 p.m.) on the 15th and either Mississippi or North Carolina A&T in their second game of the classic on the 16th.
Furman 107, Southern Virginia 36
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Katie Johnson led six Paladins in double figures as Furman powered its way past Southern Virginia, 107-36 in exhibition basketball action on Saturday evening on the Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena.
Johnson notched a double-double with 20 total points and 12 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Junior Lee Stephens notched 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field and added three assists while Sarah Baker and Melissa Liebschwager added 12 points each. Baker also notched two blocks in the win. Also scoring in double figures were Mollie Petersen with 11 and freshman Candace Dowell with 10.
The Paladins opened the game with a 13-0 scoring run, holding the Knights scoreless for the first five minutes. Furman finished the half with a solid 28 point lead and held the Knights to only 13 points in the second half.
Furman shot 50% (41-82) from the floor and 37% (10-27) from beyond the arc while holding Southern Virginia to a 22.2% three-point percentage. The Knights were led by Amanda Prestwitch's 16 points and four rebounds, while Tricia Dixon also added four boards. The Paladins forced 37 turnovers and notched 18 steals.
Furman opens the 2008-09 regular season next Friday when it hosts Clemson in a 5:00 p.m. contest as part of a men's and women's double header on the Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena.
Samford 79, Montevallo 57
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team placed three players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated Montevallo, 79-57, in an exhibition game Thursday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
"I thought we played well in the first half," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "We had a little bit of a letdown in the second half defensively, but they had a lot to do with that because they made some tough shots."
Samford was led by Emily London with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Karmen Smith scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds. Monica Maxwell added 12 points, while Chika Okoli and J'Quita Babineaux added nine points each.
"We basically accomplished what we wanted to accomplish from the exhibition game," Morris said. "We won it and we were able to get a lot of people some reps."
For Montevallo, Alicia Lewis scored 17 points. Aureli Derenoncourt added 14 points for the Falcons.
As a team, Samford shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range. Montevallo shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range. Samford outrebounded Montevallo, 35-32.
Samford jumped out to an early 12-6 lead following a layup by Okoli with 16:36 to go in the first half. Samford pushed the lead out to 17 at 26-9 with 9:11 to go in the half after a free throw by Megan Wilderotter.
With Samford leading 30-15, the Bulldogs closed the half with a 13-4 run to take a 43-19 lead into the break.
Samford pushed its lead to 26 at 45-19 early in the second half, but an 11-3 run by Montevallo cut the lead to 18 at 48-30 with 16:55 to go after a three-pointer by Lewis. Samford pushed the lead back out to 21 at 55-34 with 14:21 left after a jumper by London.
Samford increased its lead to 24 at 60-36 with 9:44 to go after a three-pointer by Smith. Montevallo could get no closer than 17 the rest of the way as Samford came away with the 79-57 win.
Samford will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 14, when the Bulldogs play at in-state rival Jacksonville State. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start from JSU's Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Western Carolina 75, Brevard 45
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball defeated the Brevard College Tornados 75-45 in the Lady Catamounts lone exhibition game to tip-off the 2008-09 season in the Ramsey Center Saturday night.
Junior guard Heather Swayne came off the bench and scored 11 points connecting on 5-of-9 from the field and also had three rebounds and two steals. Fellow junior Kristen Feemster attacked the boards, leading the club with 10 rebounds. All 12 players saw time on the court for Western Carolina and everyone got in the scoring column.
"Heather has really improved her game, she was always a good shooter, but she is becoming an all-around player," said Head Coach Kellie Harper. "We had set minutes for everyone in the game and we stuck to the game plan - allowing everyone a chance to see time on the court."
It was also the first time senior center Brooke Johnson donned a Western Carolina uniform and logged minutes for the Lady Catamounts since an injury sidelined her on December 20, 2007. The Seymour, Tennessee native had four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
Lady Catamount fans also saw the first action by transfer Jessica Jackson who sat out last season after transferring from South Florida. The junior point guard introduced herself to the Western Carolina faithful two minutes into the game draining a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Western Carolina an early 5-0 advantage.
"Jessica was so excited to put on the uniform and play tonight," Harper said. "She and the rest of the team and coaching staff have been waiting a year for this."
Western Carolina had just 12 turnovers in the contest and forced Brevard to give up the ball 26 times. The Lady Catamounts, however, struggled at the free throw line connecting on just 10-of-21 from the charity stripe.
"I think that turnover mark was one of the lowest for a team I have coached here at Western Carolina," Harper admitted. "This is and will be a better free throw shooting team and that is something we will work on in the next week."
It was just a 10 point difference after the first 20 minutes of the contest as the Lady Catamounts had a 34-24 lead heading into the locker room. Western Carolina had a 15 point lead, 34-19, with five minutes left in the half but Brevard went on a 5-0 run to close out the half and narrow the Lady Catamount advantage.
It was a different story in the second half. After Western Carolina settled down, the Lady Catamounts scored 41 points in the second half and allowed just 21 points from Brevard. Western Carolina also shot 46.2 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes as the Tornados shot just 22.6 percent.
Overall the club had 55 rebounds in the game with 20 of them coming from the offensive side of the glass. Brevard had 37 boards and just eight of them were offensive.
Western Carolina officially opens the season November 14 in the first round of the Preseason WNIT at 7 p.m. against No. 4 North Carolina.