Davidson 65, Georgia Southern 54
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Sophomore Ashley Lax (Little Rock, Ark.) exploded for 17 second-half points and junior Julia Paquette (Stockbridge, Ga.) hit the 20-point plateau for the second time in her career in leading Davidson to a 65-54 Southern Conference win over Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon to remain perfect at 7-0 in league play.
Continuing their school-record start in SoCon play, the Wildcats winners of their last four games picked up their ninth straight league win overall dating back to last season's final two regular-season games, and evened their overall record to 8-8 this year. The 11-point win over the Eagles was also the 'Cats 11th in a row in the all-time series.
GSU dropped its second straight in falling to 9-7 overall, while falling to 4-3 in SoCon action.
Lax, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored 11 of her 17 second-half points in a four-minute stretch when the Wildcats broke open a 43-all tie with a 15-7 run for a 58-50 lead and 2:50 remaining in the game. The sharp-shooting guard started the run with a three-ball and then capped it off when she swished home a free throw to complete a three-point play.
The sophomore broke out of a two-game shooting slump, missing just one shot in the second half to close out the game 6-of-8 from the floor, including draining three of her five shots from behind the arc. Lax had been held to just 15 points her last two games on 5-of-23 shooting.
Meanwhile, Paquette had one of her best games this season as put her teammates on her back and carried them the majority of the first half and on into the start of the second half. Nine of her game-best 20 points came in the first stanza, including seven of them through the first six minutes to start the contest when the Wildcats had an early 11-4 lead.
After being forced to sit late in the first period when she picked up her second foul, Paquette opened up the second stanza with six straight points, including a jumper at the 16:35 mark to give Davidson a brief 32-28 lead. She later nailed her first career three-pointer at the top of the key that gave the Wildcats back the lead at 43-41 after GSU took a one-point lead.
The Eagles, who despite shooting just 28.6 percent from the floor, kept things close though in the second period by hitting some clutch shots when needed and taking care of the ball. GSU had just five turnovers in the game, with just one of them coming in the first half which helped the Eagles go into halftime tied at 26-all.
The game saw both teams trade the lead seven times, including four times through the first 13 minutes of a tightly played second half.
Joining Lax and Paquette in double digits was junior Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) and senior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Besides her 13 points, Thompson dished out a game-high five dimes and hauled in a season-best eight boards.
Robinson, who is averaging a double-double against SoCon opponents this year, recorded her fifth straight double-double game when she pulled down an offensive rebound for her 10th board, and then laid the ball up and in for her 10th & 11th points with just 1:01 left in the contest. The offensive put-back gave Davidson a 62-52 lead on its way to the 65-54 win.
Georgia Southern's J'Lisia Ogburn was the lone Eagle to score in double digits when she dropped in 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 6-for-9 from the charity stripe. She added a 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Leading scorer Ashley Melson was held to just nine points, four below her season average.
Davidson finishes its two-game home stretch with a 7 p.m. contest versus College of Charleston on Monday, Jan. 12. The Eagles, meanwhile, return to Statesboro to entertain Wofford Monday at 7 p.m.
Furman 66, UNC Greensboro 63 (OT)
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The Spartans closed regulation on a 24-7 run, including Amanda Leigh’s 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to force overtime, but Furman got the go-ahead jumper with 2.3 seconds left in the extra frame and added a pair of free throws to grab the road win at UNC Greensboro on Saturday, 66-63.
Monique Floyd’s jumper with 6.8 seconds left in overtime put UNCG (6-10, 3-4 Southern Conference) on top 63-62 and sent the home crowd into a tizzy, but Furman’s Lee Stephens ? the SoCon’s leading scorer ? hit a midrange jumper off an inbounds play with 2.3 seconds left to put the Paladins up one with 2.3 seconds left. UNCG tried for the home run play off the inbounds from the baseline, but the ball never came in and went over to Furman.
The Spartans were forced to foul to stop the clock, and Sarah Baker knocked down both attempts for the final margin. Lakiah Hyson’s halfcourt heave as time expired was off the mark as the Spartans were saddled with their second straight overtime loss.
Leigh finished with a career-high 18 points for UNCG, while Liebschwager matched her with 18 of her own for Furman (9-7, 3-4 SoCon). Floyd finished with 12 for UNC Greensboro, while Gini Grimsley and Hyson were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Stephens finished with 13 for the Paladins and Katie Johnson added 10.
UNCG trailed by as many as 17 in the second half, as Stephens’ free throw put the Paladins up 46-29 with 11:07 to play. But the Spartans’ offense ? which had suffered a pair of prolonged droughts already in the game ? finally roared to life, with Grimsley hitting a jumper and a pair of free throws to ignite the game-tying run. Hyson’s jumper made it a 46-35 contest before Liebschwager hit a pair of free throws with 5:39 to play to end a 5:28 Furman drought.
After Susan Troutman’s jumper pushed the Paladins’ lead back to 15, the Spartans again started chipping away. Grimsley hit a pair of free throws before consecutive layups from Floyd got UNCG back within single digits at 50-41.
The Spartans’ run continued, as Agne Girstautaite and Floyd had layups before Grimsley’s jumper off the glass made it a three-point game at 50-47 with 47.2 to play. A Shana Booker free throw made it a two-possession game again, but Leigh answered with the first of her two huge 3s in the final minute to draw UNCG within one at 51-50 with 25.2 seconds to play. Stephens hit a pair of three throws with 11.2 seconds left to force the Spartans go for the 3, and Leigh came up big again, hitting her tying triple with just 1.8 ticks left in regulation. Grimsley came up with a steal on Furman’s inbounds play, but could not call timeout before the clock expired.
Overtime was just as exciting ? the lead changed hands four times in the final 32 seconds ? with UNCG overcoming a four-point Furman lead at 58-54 to reclaim the lead inside a minute to play. Floyd gave the Spartans their first lead of OT with 31.1 seconds left, taking advantage of Girstautaite’s block of Liebschwager’s shot and racing down for a fastbreak layup to make it 61-60. Liebschwager had the answer, however, hitting a jumper in the lane with 19.8 seconds left to put the Paladins back up by one.
Following a 30-second timeout, Floyd came up with another clutch jumper to give UNCG its last lead, but Stephens converted on the other end to send the Spartans to their second straight heartbreaking loss. UNCG also lost to league-leading Davidson in overtime, 61-55 on Monday.
The Spartans were sizzling from the field for the first 10 minutes of the game, getting a pair of Leigh 3-pointers in opening up a 16-6 lead with 11:29 to play. Liebschwager hit a 3 to draw Furman back within seven, but Hyson answered with a layup as UNCG held an 18-9 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play in the half.
That would be the Spartans’ last bucket for quite a while, as the Paladins rattled off a 16-0 run over the next eight and a half minutes to take a 25-18 lead. Booker hit a layup and a 3 on consecutive Furman possessions to cap the run.
Leigh hit her third 3 of the half at the 1:11 mark to stop the run and end UNCG’s 8:57 scoring drought. That brought the score to 25-21, where it stayed until the half.
The Spartans also had a scoring drought of 5:56 in the second half.
“That 16-0 run by them in the first half really took the wind out of our sails,” UNCG coach Lynne Agee said. “We really had to muster it up to regroup and go hard again in the second half. We just don’t have consistency. We can’t get two people to step it up and score points game after game. We’re really struggling with offense. Obviously, we can play defense with people, and I didn’t think today was a good defensive day, myself.”
UNCG will try to snap its season-worst five-game losing streak when it faces Appalachian State in Boone, NC, on Monday at 5 p.m. Furman returns home to face Elon Monday at 7 p.m.
Samford 69, Western Carolina 41
CULLOWHEE, N.C. ? Western Carolina women’s basketball had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 69-41 loss to Samford Saturday in the Ramsey Center. The Lady Catamounts fall to 8-7 and 4-2 in the Southern Conference and Samford improves to 11-3 and 6-1 in the SoCon.
It was the first time in 66 games the Lady Catamounts have not scored 50 or more points. The club could only muster 20 points in the first half and just 21 in the second. Western Carolina also shot an anemic 26.3 percent from the field, the worst shooting night this season.
The two teams traded baskets for the first nine minutes of the game before Samford took the lead when Chika Okoli hit a jumper with 9:17 left in the first half. It began a 15-8 run for the Bulldogs. Western Carolina avoided a 10-point deficit at the half when sophomore guard Kendra Carroll nailed a three-pointer from the right corner with 32 seconds left.
Western Carolina didn’t hit a field goal in the second half for the first four minutes and allowed Samford to turn a seven point lead into a 14 points lead. The team only scored 21 points in the second half.
Samford shot a scorching 52.1 percent from the field. Western Carolina did win the rebounding advantage pulling down 36 to Samford’s 33 rebounds but 28 of the Bulldog’s boards were on the defensive glass.
Junior forward Kristen Feemster led Western Carolina with seven points. Senior Brooke Johnson paced the club with six rebounds.
Emily London led the victorious Bulldogs with 17 points and seven rebounds while hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers. Okoli and Savannah Hill added 14 points apiece while Monica Maxwell chipped in 12.
Western Carolina continues its three-game home stand hosting rival Chattanooga Monday. Tip-time is set for 7 p.m. in the Ramsey Center.
Wofford 63, Elon 61
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? A last-second shot from sophomore Mahagony Williams lifted Wofford over the Elon Phoenix 63-61 in women’s basketball action on Saturday.
Elon’s Ursyla Cotton scored the first points of the contest, but Wofford answered with a three-pointer from Natalie Gramblin to take an early lead. The Terriers extended the margin to as many as seven points, but at the 12:06 mark, hit a dry spell, allowing Elon to bring the score within one point until Gramblin broke the streak with a good free throw with 7:50 remaining.
The Terriers then went on a 7-1 run to regain a seven-point lead, and held onto the advantage, entering half time with a 29-24 lead. In the second half, the Phoenix came out strong, cutting the Terriers’ lead to two within the first two minutes, and tying the score by the 16:16 mark.
After three more ties, Wofford trailed for much of the second half, allowing Elon as much as a six-point lead. The Terriers grabbed the advantage with three minutes remaining with a good layup from April Moorhouse. A Phoenix turnover gave the ball back to the Terriers and Williams cashed in with another layup to give Wofford a three-point lead. Elon’s Tiffany Davis answered with a three-pointer to tie the score for the sixth time, and a missed Wofford layup looked to be sending the game into overtime, but Wofford’s Williams grabbed a key offensive rebound and knocked down two points to give the Terriers the 63-61 victory.
Elon was led by Urysla Cotton, who knocked down 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Amber Wall led the Phoenix in rebounds with nine, while Courtney Medley contributed eight. Three other Phoenix scored in double-digits, with Wall, Tiara Gause and Tiffany Davis each adding 11 points. The Phoenix outrebounded the Terriers 48-44.
The Terriers were led by Moorhouse’s 14 points, while Williams added 10 and led the Terriers in rebounds with eight. Senior Liz Miller grabbed 10 boards in the team’s first league win, and junior Natalie Gramblin added nine points.
With the win, Wofford improves to 3-11 on the season and 1-5 in the Southern Conference, while Elon falls to 1-13 and remains winless in league play with a 0-8 record. The Terriers will hit the road on Monday, January 12 with a trip to Georgia Southern. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The Phoenix stay in the Upstate to battle Furman Monday night at 7 p.m.
College of Charleston 64, Appalachian State 53
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University (2-12, 1-5) women's basketball was up by six points at half time and as many as nine during the contest but was unable to hold onto its lead and stave off a second half surge by College of Charleston (9-5, 3-4), falling to the Cougars 64-53.
Brittany Mixon got the scoring underway for the Black and Gold hitting a jumper to give ASU the early 2-0 lead. The Cougars responded as Sarah Moye nailed a jumper of her own to tie the game at 2 apiece. Mixon finished the afternoon with ten points and six rebounds.
The Mountaineers would then jump out to a 6-2 advantage off of two made Mixon free throws and a Sam Ramirez floater in the lane, but Jade Hughes was able to cut CofC's deficit to just two, nailing two back to back three pointers.
A steal by Canesha Edwards and the ensuing layup made the score 14-12 in ASU's favor at the 12:35 mark. Edwards ended the game with 11 rebounds and eight points to go along with two assists and three steals.
ASU would continue its offensive aggression, going on a little over three minute run, with Catherine Williams draining two free throws, and Charmene Means hitting two layups to push the score to 23 to 16. The App's largest lead came with three minutes to play before the break, going up 27 to 18. Appalachian was able to keep its momentum as Ramirez hit two free throws with 5 seconds to go to put ASU up 31 to 24 at intermission.
The seven point lead at the half was just the third time all season ASU had taken a lead heading into break.
The Cougars came out strong in the second and were able to cut the deficit to just one at 17:16 as Deidra Jones scored a layup, making the score the closest since the opening minutes of play. Ramirez would continue her hot shooting hand draining a trey to put ASU back up by four. The sophomore guard closed out the contest with a career-high 23 points, and a career-high four steals, turning the ball over zero times.
Jones was CofC's leading scorer, recording a career-high 20 points, and hauling in four rebounds.
An Appalachian scoring drought hindered the Apps as CofC went on a little over 4 and a half minute, 8-0 run to earn their first lead of the game at 45-38.
The Black and Gold tried to regain their momentum cutting Charleston's advantage to just three as Ramirez drained another trey, with a little under seven minutes to play, to go 5-9 on the afternoon from behind the arc.
The three points would be the smallest deficit for Appalachian, as the Mountaineers were unable to sink a bucket the from the 4:48 mark, until 42 seconds remained in the game. During that time, the Cougars were able to capitalize, going on a 6-0 run to push the score to 62-48.
ASU would score four more points over the final seconds of play, but it wasn't enough as the College of Charleston took home the win.
Despite tying a season-low in turnovers with just 15 and shooting a gaudy 100 percent at the charity stripe, poor shooting hurt the Apps, shooting just 29 percent in the contest, while the Cougars shot 44 percent.
The Mountaineers return to action Monday January 12, in the final game of their two-game homestand as they take on UNC Greensboro at 5 p.m. in the Holmes Center. The Cougars visit league-leading Davidson Monday night at 7 p.m.