Chattanooga 58, UNC Greensboro 48
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The Chattanooga women’s basketball team used an 14-0 run late in the second half to propel themselves to a 58-48 Southern Conference win over UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon at Fleming Gym.
UNCG’s Gini Grimsley finished with a team-best 11 points to go with nine rebounds, while Lakiah Hyson pulled down a career-high 10 boards to lead the Spartans (7-15, 4-9 SoCon). The Lady Mocs (16-6, 12-1 SoCon) had three players in double figures, with Erin Ogan notching the game’s lone double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Shanara Hollinquest scored a game-high 16 points, while Jenaya Wade-Fray had 12.
Ogan’s 3-pointer with 13:43 to play put Chattanooga up 40-29, but that was the last time the Lady Mocs would score for the next 5:35. Ashley Mullins answered with a 3 of her own and Monique Floyd stole the ball and drove in for the layup to get the Spartans back within six.
TaShama Banner hit the back end of a two-shot foul and knifed through the lane for a layup that made it a one-possession game moments later, getting the Spartans within three for the first time since UNCG trailed 8-5 in the first half and forcing the Lady Mocs to take a timeout.
Coming out of the stoppage, Grimsley blocked a Wade-Fray shot and got the rebound, then hit a long-range jumper on the other end to complete the Spartans’ 10-0 spurt and pull UNCG within a point at 40-39.
Chattanooga would regroup, getting a Wade-Fray 3-pointer to stop the Spartans’ run. Ogan added another 3 on the Lady Mocs’ next possesstion, and UTC was back in control. Chattanooga would another eight points in succession to cap off a 14-0 run, with Wade-Fray’s pair of free throws with 4:41 left making it a 15-point spread at 54-39.
“It took everything we had to make the 10-0 run,” UNCG coach Lynne Agee said. “We just did not bring it today. But we came back and we made our second-half run to get us back in the game, but then we turned around and blanked out again. We just completely went blank, and they went on a 14-0 run. That just took the wind right out of our sails. I’m disappointed in this performance.”
After UTC’s run, Grimsley and Wade-Fray traded buckets, and Grimsley hit a 3 to make it a 12-point contest with just 1:27 to play. A pair of Ogan free throws pushed the Lady Mocs’ lead back to14, but Banner’s stickback on Agne Girstautaite’s miss got UNCG back within a dozen, and UTC took another timeout.
Hyson stole the ball on the inbounds, finding Grimsley underneath for an easy layup that got the Spartans back within 10 with more than a minute to play.
After a missed jumper by Wade-Fray, Grimsley was able to get off a pair of 3-point tries on the other end, but neither would go down. The Spartans were forced to foul to stop the clock, and Tagan Hatchett missed the front end of a one-and-one to keep UNCG’s faint comeback hopes alive.
Freshman Sarah Folwell came up with the rebound, but UNCG was unable to another shot to drop and fell for the 10th time in the last 11 games.
The Spartans got 20 points from their bench Saturday, while Chattanooga got just three points from its non-starters. Banner had seven points and five rebounds off the bench for UNCG.
Grimsley blocked a pair of shots in the contest, giving her 74 for her career and moving her into third place on UNCG's career list. She also hit a 3-pointer to give her 96 for her career, moving her into a tie for fifth on that list and making her the only player in program history in the top five in both blocks and 3s. In fact, no other player is in even in the top 10 in both lists.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for UNCG, which will face Samford on Monday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs pulled out a 61-50 win at Elon on Saturday to keep pace with the Lady Mocs atop the SoCon standings at 12-1. Chattanooga stays in the area to face Elon Monday night at 7 p.m.
Wofford 86, Davidson 72
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? With three players matching or setting career highs in scoring and two players setting school records, the Terrier women’s basketball team upset Davidson 86-72 to claim its second Southern Conference win of the season.
Maddie Helms led the Terriers in the first half with a career-high 15 total points, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the three-point range. As a team, the Terriers shot 51.5% from the field and 53.8% from beyond the arc in the first half. Davidson’s Alex Thompson led the Wildcats in the first half with 18 points.
After leading 48-37 at the break, the Terriers controlled the entirety of the second half as well, coming out of the break and extending their lead to 18 points in the first three minutes of the second half. Beginning with 13:31 remaining, the Terriers went on an 11-0 run. Two three-pointers by April Moorhouse, one from Maddie Helms, and a layup from Moorhouse gave Wofford a 25-point advantage.
Wofford refused to let Davidson back in the game, maintaining a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game to claim a 86-72 victory.
Davidson was led by Thompson’s 21 total points, while two Wildcats recorded double-doubles. Senior Mercedes Robinson grabbed 11 rebounds and 15 points, while senior Mandy Halbersleben contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Sophomore Ashley Lax also added 10 points for the Wildcats.
Junior Natalie Gramblin led the Terriers with a career-high 20 points. Also notching a career best was sophomore Maddie Helms, with 18. Helms also set a Terrier record for three-point percentage, knocking down 6 of 7 treys for a .857 mark. Freshman April Moorhouse matched her career-high in points with 14. Senior Liz Miller grabbed a record-setting 10 steals to etch her name in the Terrier record books as well, while also leading the team with seven assists.
As a team, the Terriers made a season-high 11 three-pointers, and also out-rebounded the Wildcats 45-41. Wofford shot a season best 49.2% from the field and matched a season high 50% shooting from three-point range.
With the win, the Terriers improve to 4-16 on the season and 2-10 in the Southern Conference while Davidson falls to 8-13 overall and 7-5 in league play with its sixth straight loss. Wofford will host Appalachian State Monday, February 2 in a 6:00 p.m. matchup in Benjamin Johnson Arena. Davidson returns to action next Saturday, February 7 at Elon. The game, which will tip at 2 p.m., will be televised on SportSouth.
Samford 61, Elon 50
ELON, N.C. ? Savannah Hill canned eight of her 12 shots from the field, knocking down a game-high 17 points to lead Samford to a 61-50 Southern Conference women’s basketball victory over Elon Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gym.
In a contest that featured six ties and nine lead changes, the Phoenix (2-20 overall, 0-13 SoCon) forged a 44-38 advantage on a layup by Aiesha Harper with 10:33 remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs (17-3 overall, 12-1 SoCon) stormed back with a 19-4 run to build a 57-48 edge on a pair of free throws by Chika Okoli with 39 seconds to play.
Megan Wilderotter (nine points), Karmen Smith (nine points), Monica Maxwell (eight points, six rebounds), Emily London (eight points) and Okoli (eight rebounds) all turned in key performances for Samford.
Elon was led by Julie Taylor, who pumped in a career-high 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field ? 4-for-4 from three-point range. Urysla Cotton (12 points, eight rebounds), Erica Keto (10 rebounds) and Tiffany Davis (four assists) all stepped up big for the Phoenix.
The Phoenix won the battle of the boards 37-28, but committed 19 turnovers to just nine miscues for the Bulldogs. Samford outscored Elon 26-24 in the paint and 19-7 off turnovers. The Phoenix outscored the Bulldogs 10-0 off second chances and 18-15 off the bench.
Samford shot 42.9 percent (21 of 49) from the field ? 31.6 percent (6 of 19) from three-point land ? and 86.7 percent (13 of 15) from the free throw line. Elon connected on 38.2 percent (21 of 55) from the floor ? 45.5 percent (5 of 11) from long distance ? and 42.9 percent (3 of 7) from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs will visit UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the Phoenix will return to the friendly confines of Alumni Gym when Chattanooga visits at 7 p.m. Monday. Samford travels to face UNC Greensboro Monday night at 7 p.m. ET.
College of Charleston 61, Western Carolina (OT)
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Sophomore guard Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) scored 18 points and junior guard Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) finished with 16 points as the College of Charleston (16-5, 9-4) handed Western Carolina (11-9, 7-5) a 61-56 overtime defeat Saturday afternoon in a Southern Conference women’s basketball game at the Carolina First Arena. The victory is the eighth straight for the Cougars, dating back to a 64-53 decision over Appalachian State on January 10.
With the score tied at 46-46 with 5:35 remaining in regulation, Gerty hit a jump shot with two seconds remaining on the shot clock and Hughes connected on a three pointer to put the Cougars up 51-46 with 3:31 to go. Western Carolina then charged back with a 5-0 run of their own to tie the game at 51-51 with 11 seconds to go, sending the game to overtime.
In the overtime session, the Catamounts ran their stretch to eight straight points with a layup and foul shot by junior forward Kristen Feemster as they took a 54-51 lead at the 3:14 mark. At that point, Gerty and Hughes took over as they combined for the next six points to put Charleston up 57-54 with 1:18 left in overtime. A quick layup at the other end by senior guard Lauren Powell made it 57-56 before the Cougars scored the final four points on a layup by junior center Deidra Jones (Irmo, S.C.) and a pair of Gerty foul shots to close out the 61-56 overtime victory.
In the first half, the two teams battled through six ties and four lead changes as they were separated by no more than five points throughout the half. Trailing 22-20 with 2:12 remaining in the half, Charleston ended the half on a 7-2 run to take a 27-24 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Cougars scored five of the first seven points to stretch their lead to 32-26 at the 16:13 mark. That would be their largest lead of the half, as Western Carolina rallied to tie the game at 33-33 with 13:26 left in the half before eventually reclaiming the lead at 41-40 with 7:31 to go. The teams would then trade the next three baskets giving Charleston a 44-43 lead before WCU tied the game on a foul shot. Another exchange of baskets then tied the score at 46-46 and set the stage for the Cougars late game heroics.
For the Catamounts, Lauren Powell led the way with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds while senior center Brooke Johnson scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Emily Clarke and junior guard Heather Swayne both scored seven points, while senior forward Kendra Eaton grabbed nine rebounds. Junior guard Jessica Jackson added five rebounds and game-high four assists, while Feemster added five rebounds.
Gerty led the way for Charleston with a team-high 18 points and Hughes added 16 points and three assists. Jones scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds, while senior forward Nikki Williams (North, S.C.) added six points and five rebounds. Senior forward Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) added five rebounds and team-highs at two blocks and two steals.
The Cougars begin a three game road trip on February 3, in Greenville, S.C. when they travel to Furman. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. WCU completes its road trip with a 5 p.m. game at Georgia Southern on Monday.
Appalachian State 77, Furman 64
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University women's basketball (5-15, 4-7) continued with its impressive Southern Conference play as the Mountaineers defeated SoCon foe Furman (10-14, 4-9) Saturday afternoon in the Holmes Center 77-64. With the win the Apps move into sole possession of seventh place in the league standings and are one win away from matching their conference win total from the 2007-08 campaign.
Senior Brittany Mixon was the dominant force for the Black and Gold all around, as she recorded her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and hauling in a game-high 14 rebounds. She also had five blocks and three asissts. Along with Mixon, Sam Ramirez had a stellar game as well, falling just short of a triple-double, as she was the Mountaineer's second leading scorer, having 17 points, in addition to nine assists and seven rebounds. The sophomore guard also recorded her first block of her career, compiling two in the game.
Appalachian's strong start helped to propel them to the win, as ASU trailed just once the entire contest, by one point in the opening minutes of action.
An 8-0, 2:23 run pushed ASU's early lead to 26-14, with offense coming from all over, as Ramirez nailed two jumpers, Brittney Spencer hit a bucket off a spin-dribble and Mixon had a layup. Spencer finished the contest with nine points, five boards and two assists.
Furman would step up its game on the offensive front as they were able to score two back-to-back buckets with Kendra Berry hitting a jumper and Shana Booker draining a three pointer to cut the Mountaineers lead to 30-27 with under four minutes remaining in the first.
Sade Means responded with a layup of her own and Mixon had two back to back scores to give the Black and Gold a 38-32 advantage heading into intermission.
ASU was able to keep up its strong play in the opening five minutes of second half, going on a 14-4 run. The run helped the Apss take its largest lead of the contest with under 12 minutes to play at 56-38.
The Paladins would not be shut out quite yet, as they were able to pull within 12 points off a little over three minute 13-5 spurt of their own.
Despite FU's rally, Appalachian would continue its relentless offensive attack, as Ramirez drained her second trey of the contest and Mixon had another layup to give ASU the win.
Four Mountaineers finished the contest in double figure scoring, and the team shot just shy of a season best at 53.4 percent. Three Paladins were in double figure scoring as well, with Melissa Liebschwager tying a season-best 21 points that she had against the Mountaineers when the two squads met earlier in the season.
Appalachian looks to push in league winning streak to three, as the Apps travel to Spartanburg, S.C. Monday February 2, to take on the Wofford Terriers, with tip off scheduled for 6 p.m. Furman returns home to host College of Charleston at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3.