Chattanooga 62, College of Charleston 36
Charleston, S.C. ? Three Lady Mocs sored in double figures, while holding the Cougars to just 23.1 percent from the field, as the Chattanooga women’s basketball team defeated the College of Charleston, 62-36, and claimed at least a share of its ninth consecutive Southern Conference regular season championship.
The Cougars fall to 12-13 overall and 8-7 in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga improves to 24-3 and 16-0 in the league.
Charleston struggled from the field for much of the game, shooting 22.6 in the first half and 23.5 in the second for its 23.1 percent for the game. Chattanooga shot 44.8 percent in the first half and 50.0 percent in the second for a 47.1 percentage for the game. The Mocs had 31 defensive rebounds compared to just 14 for the Cougars. UTC ended the game with the 47-33 advantage on the boards. The Cougars took 15 mores shots, 65-51, and had fewer turnovers, 22-16.
Chattanooga went seven-for-14 from beyond the three-point line, compared to a four-for-18 effort by the Cougars.
Leading the Cougars was Ericka Williams with eight points. Sarah Moye pulled down six rebounds to pace the team. Chattanooga was led by Jenaya Wade-Fray with 18 points. Shanara Hollinquest scored 12 while Alex Anderson posted a double-double with her 11 points and a team-leading 13 rebounds. Anderson also had seven blocks, which tied her career-high.
Charleston hosts Western Carolina Monday, Feb. 25th at 7:00 p.m. It will mark the final home game for the Cougars this season and the final one in the John Kresse Arena. Chattanooga battles third place Georgia Southern in Statesboro Monday night at 7:00 p.m.
Davidson 84, Wofford 76 (OT)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Wofford overcame an early deficit but could not withstand a strong late second half charge by Davidson which carried into overtime as the Terriers dropped an 84-76 decision against the Wildcats Saturday afternoon inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg, S.C. It marked the second-straight game played in Spartanburg between the two schools to go an extra five minutes following last season's overtime thrilling 68-65 Wofford triumph on Senior Day.
Julia Paquette scored back-to-back buckets to give Davidson (17-9, 11-4 SoCon) an early 4-0 cushion before Natalie Gramblin knocked down the Terriers' first field goal atttempt at 18:01 to bring the score to a one-possession game. The Wildcats continued to dominate on the offensive end by using an 11-2 surge, capped by a jumper from Ashley Lax at 12:46. Davidson also forced five turnovers in the same time period to take a 15-4 lead.
Two free throws by freshman Maddie Helms, her fifth and sixth attempts of the season, stopped the run at 11:55. They also helped kick-start the Terrier offense, which closed the gap to two, 17-15, on a jumper by Gramblin as part of a 6-0 run.
Following a pair of charity tosses from Alex Thompson, who was 10-of-10 from the line in the game, rookie Ashley Kroker nailed a triple at 6:29 to pull Wofford (9-17, 2-13 SoCon) within one, 19-18. Paquette and Gramblin traded a pair of foul shots apiece before Helms drained a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Terriers their first advantage, 23-21, with 5:14 remaining in the half.
Helms then hit her second-straight trey at 4:33 forcing a Wildcat timeout. Wofford used the momentum from her six-straight points to outscore Davidson 13-2 the remainder of the half, including a triple from sophomore Kristin Bradley and take a 33-23 halftime edge. Bradley's trey, marking the eighth-straight game in which she has scored, pushed the Terrier lead to 12 before Mercedes Robinson scored the final field goal of the half with 32 seconds to play with a runner in the lane.
The Wildcats tallied 12 of the second half's opening 16 points to close the deficit to two, 37-35, on two free throws from Robinson at 13:49. Junior Liz Miller then took control for Wofford, scoring the next four points. She converted a layup and was fouled on the play. After missing the ensuing free throw, she grabbed the offensive board and put in another layup.
The Terriers then forced an offensive foul on the other end before Gramblin hit a jumper at 13:12 to push the advantage back out to eight, 43-35, forcing another Davidson timeout. The Wildcats would then receive four points form Danielle Hemerka before Honna Housley hit a 3-pointer at 10:24 to knot the score at 45-45.
Kelly Gassie gave the visitors their first lead since 5:37 of the opening frame with a jumper at 9:58. Neither team mounted more than a two-point edge until Miller's layup at 3:40 gave Wofford a three-point, 60-57, edge. Miller provided the Terriers with another three-point lead, 68-65, with 40 seconds remaining in regulation before Paquette drew the Wildcats within one with 26 seconds left. Junior Laura Depko hit 1-of-2 free throws with :20 seconds showing on the clock for a two-point Wofford edge, but Robinson had two shots in the final six seconds, the second coming off an offensive rebound, and she hit the put-back tying attempt with two seconds to force overtime.
In the extra stanza, Paquette gave Davidson the early lead, but senior Kelsi Koenig banked in a 3-pointer for a 72-71 Wofford lead. Freshman Mahagony Williams grabbed a rebound off another missed triple attempt and put in the rebound as the Terriers built a three-point edge. The lead grew to four on a free throw from Miller at 3:20, but the Wildcat defense took over at that point.
Davidson registered 8-of-10 free throws in the overtime period, but it was Alex Thompson's top-of-the-key 3-pointer at 1:27 which gave it a 77-75 non-relinquished lead. The Wildcats closed the scoring by hitting free throws with only one by Gramblin spoiling the 13-1 game-closing run.
Paquette led all players with a career-high 23 points, while Thompson added 18 including 10 from the foul line. Robinson finished with her 12th double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Williams paced the Terriers with her second career double-double, and second in three games, with 12 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. Thirteen of her 17 caroms came on the defensive glass, while she also blocked a career-high six shots and swiped a career-best three steals.
Miller also finished with a double-double, the first of her career. She tallied 14 points and hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds, one more than the previous mark of nine set earlier this season at Davidson Jan. 26.
Gramblin finished with a team-best and career-high tying 15 points.
Wofford also tied a Division I era single-game team record with 12 blocked shots, set on two instances with the last coming Jan. 27, 1996, against Navy.
The Terriers will return to action with the final home game of the season, a 6 p.m. Monday tip against Appalachian State. Prior to the game, Wofford will honor Koenig as part of Senior Night festivities. Davidson stays in the Upstate to take on Furman Monday at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina 87, Georgia Southern 58
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina avenged an earlier loss to Georgia Southern by topping the Eagles on Senior Day Saturday, 87-58. Western Carolina improves to 22-6 and 14-2 in the Southern Conference while Georgia Southern falls to 16-10 and 12-3 in the SoCon.
The seniors helped in the celebration as each scored in double figures in the contest, with a total of six Lady Catamounts doubled up in scoring. Pellom, Keith and Dawson each had 10 points and Johnson led the seniors with 11. Lauren Powell led all scorers tying her season-high with 18 points. She was 3-for-5 from the three-point line and also pulled down five rebounds. Freshman Emily Clarke was the other underclassman to score in double figure with a career-tying 14 points.
Milestones were also a highlight of the game. Both junior guard Powell and Keith eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau ? becoming the 20th and 21st Lady Catamounts to do so. Western Carolina now has three players on the squad who have scored over 1,000 points, as Dawson hit the mark earlier this season, a first in school history.
It was also a career-day for Johnson. The Riverdale, Ga. native notched the first double-double of her career pulling down 10 rebounds to go along with her 11 points.
Georgia Southern took an early 4-0 lead to start the game, and after Western Carolina tied it at four, the Lady Catamounts took the lead 6-4 off a jumper by Johnson. After that Western Carolina turned on the scoring machine.
The Lady Catamounts hovered around a five point lead for most of the first half. When Georgia Southern cut it down to three points, Western Carolina went on a 26-11 run in the final 10 minutes of the half to lead 41-23 heading into the locker room.
Western Carolina pushed its lead to 20 points, 43-23, to start the second half thanks to a lay-up by Keith. The Lady Catamounts would not drop below a 20-point lead for the remainder of the second half. WCU had as much as a 35-point lead.
It was the eighth straight win for Western Carolina and the eighth consecutive at home. The Lady Catamounts end the season with a record of 10-2 in the Ramsey Center.
The 29-point margin of victory was the most for Western Carolina in its 38 meetings with Georgia Southern.
The win over Georgia Southern gives Western Carolina sole possession of second place. With two games remaining, the Lady Catamounts still have an outside shot at the Southern Conference regular season title but will need a little help as Chattanooga continues to lead with a perfect 16-0 record in the Southern Conference.
The victory was also the seventh in the month of February which ties the school record for most victories in the month. It ties the mark set in 1982-83 when the Lady Catamounts went 8-2 in February.
Western Carolina hits the road for one of its two final Southern Conference road games of the season. The Lady Catamounts travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on College of Charleston at 7 p.m. February 25. Georgia Southern hosts Chattanooga Monday at 7 p.m. in Statesboro
Elon 59, UNC Greensboro 48
ELON, N.C. ? Kitara McMoore posted 13 points and seven rebounds as Elon clawed its way to a 59-48 Southern Conference women’s basketball triumph over UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym.
Monique Floyd hit a shot in the paint to give the Spartans (5-22 overall, 3-13 SoCon) a 26-22 edge with 19:43 left to play in the contest. The Phoenix (9-19, 4-12) responded with a 17-7 run to go ahead 39-33 with 12:39 remaining when Katie Whidden knocked down a lay-up.
UNCG used a 7-2 spurt to draw to within 41-40 on a three-point bucket by Ashley Ling with 9:11 on the clock. Elon answered with an 18-6 tear to build a 59-46 cushion on a pair of free throws by Tiffany Davis with 16 seconds to go.
Davis finished with 11 points and a game-high five assists, Tierra Bumbrey added 11 points and Amber Wall pulled down six caroms for the Phoenix while Brittany Frazier (eight points, seven rebounds), Kemena Brooks (eight points), Lakiah Hyson (eight points) and Jasmine Dixon (five rebounds) paced the Spartans.
Elon converted 40 percent (20 of 50) of its attempts from the field ? 46.7 percent (7 of 15) from three-point land ? and 80.0 percent (12 of 15) from the free throw line. UNCG shot 37.7 percent (20 of 53) from the floor ? 25.0 percent (4 of 16) from beyond the arc ? and 44.4 percent (4 of 9) from the charity stripe.
The Spartans out-rebounded the Phoenix 36-35 and committed just 13 turnovers to 18 by Elon. On Thursday, UNCG will host Wofford at 5 p.m. and the Phoenix will host Furman at 7 p.m.