Georgia Southern 96, Brewton-Parker 44
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern women's basketball team opened the 2009-2010 season with a 96-44 victory over Brewton-Parker Friday night (November 13) in Hanner Fieldhouse. The win marked the 11th straight season opening win for the Lady Eagles. J'Lisia Ogburn led with a game-high 18 points to mark a career high and earn her fourth career double-double pulling down 10 boards
Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) went 8-of-13 from the floor to lead both teams with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Making her return to the court for the first time since December, Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) displayed a promising start to her senior campaign, contributing 14 points, two assists and one steal in the winning effort. Meanwhile, appearing in a Lady Eagle uniform for the first time, freshman Kayla Dayton (Monroe, N.C.) drained 12 points with one three-pointer to jumpstart her collegiate career.
"We were extremely happy to give plenty of our team playing time tonight and see what we could do in competition. As a coaching staff, we were pleased to have the opportunity to see as many of our players play as we did," said head coach Rusty Cram. "I was very pleased with J'Lisia [Ogburn] and Carolyn [Whitney] and their performance tonight."
Georgia Southern outscored Brewton-Parker at half 49-27, shooting 47.6 percent to the Barons' 29.6 percent. Hitting 20 field goals to Brewton-Parker's eight in the first half, the Lady Eagles maintained momentum in the second half, shooting 51.4 percent to come away with a 52-point margin of victory.
Georgia Southern picked up its first points of the game when Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) took a trip to the charity strip within the first minute of play. Geiger drained both free throws as Whitney hit a jumper to give Georgia Southern a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles seized control of the game in the first half, pulling away with a 15-6 lead following Whitney's fourth field goal of the half. Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) made a jumper with just over 11 minutes of play remaining in the half to give Georgia Southern a 29-11 lead and spark a 10-0 run by Georgia Southern as it gained the biggest lead of the half, 37-11.
Brewton-Parker pulled to within 17 points, 39-22, before Georgia Southern closed out the opening stanza with a 22-point lead, 49-27.
Returning from the break, Crystal Nwaoporo hit a jumper for Brewton-Parker before the Lady Eagles put together a 9-0 run to hold a 60-29 lead. Over the next 11 minutes, Georgia Southern added 26 points from nine different Lady Eagles, including three-pointers from Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) and Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.), to capture an 86-39 lead, a 47-point difference. Georgia Southern continued the strong defense, relenting only five points over the final five-and-a-half minutes of play to close out a 96-44 season opening victory.
"We made a lot of substitutions tonight to give as many people a chance to play as possible and that affected our rhythm a little bit. But overall, it was a good game and a great opportunity for us to see where we are," said Cram.
Three Barons scored in double digits on the evening. Taking the lead for Brewton-Parker, Nwaoporo owned 11 points in the game and nine rebounds. Zaneta Howard and Ashauntae Bussey each added 10 points. The Barons were held to a 23.7 shooting efficiency, making contact on only 14 buckets.
Georgia Southern returns to the court facing preseason ranked No.6 Duke on Thursday, November 19. Tipoff in Cameron Indoor Stadium is slated for 7 p.m.
Elon 86, Youngstown State 66
ELON, N.C. - Freshman Ali Ford led all scorers with 23 points on 7-17 shooting, including four buckets from behind arc, while fellow newcomer Kelsey Evans began her career with a double-double as the Elon women's basketball team opened the season with an 86-66 win over Youngstown State in the Phoenix Classic Presented by Comfort Inn. Evans grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 13 points for the Phoenix.
"I liked how our kids competed hard and stayed aggressive throughout the game," head coach Karen Barefoot said. "We turned it up the second half and shot lights out."
Evans recorded two assists and two blocked shots in her debut, while Ford led the team with three steals and eight assists. Lei Lei Hairston and Kallie Hovatter had solid debuts with 12 and 11 tallies, respectively. Hairston excelled on the defensive end of the floor with two blocks and a steal. Senior Urysla Cotton pulled down seven boards, tallied six points and added a block.
After falling behind 11-6, the Phoenix mounted an 8-0 run that put Elon up by three at the 13:20 mark. A jumper by Youngstown State's Rachael Manuel allowed the Penguins a four-point lead at 23-19. The Penguins maintained their lead until a basket by Courtney Medley and a pair of three-pointers by Ford put Elon up by seven with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. Tiara Gause gave the Phoenix its largest lead of the half at nine points on a jumper in the paint. After a YSU basket, Evans hit a jumper with 11 seconds on the clock to give Elon a 39-32 halftime lead.
Evans and Tiffany Davis combined for three free throws to start the second half and gave Elon its first double-digit lead of the contest at 42-32. A basket by Bojana Dimitrov cut the Phoenix lead to five at 45-40, but Hovatter turned a three-point play on a layup and free throw at the 15:49 mark that allowed Elon to extend its lead to eight points.
Elon went on a 14-3 run that gave it a 17-point lead at 62-45. With less than four minutes remaining in the game, Aiesha Harper made a layup a 19-point advantage at 78-59. Youngstown State scored five straight tallies to bring the game to within 14 before a jumper by Hovatter sparked an 8-0 Phoenix run. Cotton recorded the final Phoenix points and gave Elon its largest lead of the night at 22 points with under a minute to play.
Elon scored 46 points in the paint and added 38 points from the bench in the contest. The Phoenix shot 58.9 percent from the field as a team.
In the first game of the tournament, Navy handed High Point a 70-67 overtime loss. Elon will resume play tomorrow evening at 9 p.m., in the final game of the Phoenix Classic Presented by Comfort Inn. Youngstown State will take on High Point in the 7:00 game. Live stats will be available for each game at www.elonphoenix.com.
Samford 59, Jacksonville 46
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford junior forward Savannah Hill scored 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Bulldog women's basketball team to a 59-46, season-opening win over in-state rival Jacksonville State Friday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.
"We won, and that is the most important thing," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "Generally, I was pleased with our defense. Particularly in the second half when we held them to 28 percent. We only gave up four offensive rebounds, so I was really pleased with our team's effort defensively.
"Offensively, we struggled," Morris said. "We got out of our rhythm a little. But, down the stretch, we had Emily (London) and Monica (Maxwell) make some big plays and Savannah came up big with 22 points. Also, we were 14-for-15 from the free throw line and that is how you have to win games."
Behind Hill for Samford, Monica Maxwell scored 14 points. Emily London had seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
For Jacksonville State, Zenobia Pitts led the way with 13 points. Karisma Boykin added nine points for JSU. Danielle Beneby led the Gamecocks in rebounding with six.
Samford's defense forced Jacksonville State into 21 turnovers, while the Bulldogs committed 16 turnovers. Samford out-rebounded Jacksonville State, 35-31.
Samford jumped out to an early 16-7 lead with 13:10 to go in the first half after a three-pointer by Hill. Jacksonville State scored the next seven points to cut the lead to two at 16-14 with 9:41 left in the half.
Samford answered with an 8-0 run to push its lead to 10 at 24-14 with 6:33 left in the first half following a three-pointer by Maxwell. JSU then went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to two at 26-24 with 2:30 to go in the opening period. A three-pointer by Hill and a layup by Megan Wilderotter down the stretch gave Samford a 31-26 lead heading into halftime.
Jacksonville State opened the second half with a 10-4 run to take a 36-35 lead with 14:49 to go in the game. Samford answered with an 8-1 run to take a 43-37 lead with 10:00 to go after a free throw by Hill.
After JSU cut the lead to two at 43-41, Samford went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-point lead at 51-41. The Gamecocks could get no closer than seven the rest of the way as Samford came away with the 59-46 win.
The game marked the second-straight season Samford has opened the season with Jacksonville State. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated the Gamecocks, 68-55 in Jacksonville. Samford now leads the all-time series with JSU, 14-13, and the Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine meetings in the series.
Samford will return to action on Sunday, Nov. 15, when the Bulldogs play at Evansville. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
Appalachian State 63, Marshall 58
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Junior guard Sam Ramirez drilled a jumper with 16 seconds left, increasing ASU's lead to five points and helping Appalachian State University women's basketball earn its first season-opening win on the road since the 2001-02 season, defeating Marshall 63-58 Friday evening at the Cam Henderson Center.
Tania Walters drained a three-pointer to pull Marshall within its narrowest margin of the night at the 5 point mark as the Thundering Herd tried to stage comeback in the final minutes of action. Fortunately for the Black and Gold, Ramirez continued with her hot-shooting, scoring her 23rd point of the evening and tying her career-high.
Freshman Anna Freeman came up big as well, recording the team's 10th block of the night, tying a team single-season block record set back in 2005, as she swatted an Alaya Mitchell three point attempt to ensure that Marshall's late rally would come up short.
The Mountaineers started the game on fire, going up 16-3 off of six Ramirez points, with freshman Ashlen Dewart chipping in five of her own.
Seven points by Ramirez in the waning minutes of first half action and a made free throw by Courtney Freeman gave the Black and Gold a 31-19 advantage heading into the break.
Poor shooting hindered the Thundering Herd, as they shot a dismal 12.9 percent during the first half.
Marshall picked up its play during second half action, with Alyssa Hammond scoring two free throws and Chantelle Handy hitting a jumper to pull MU within 10 points at the 17 minute mark.
Despite Marshall's effort, sophomore guard Chakeitha Weldon came alive for the Apps, scoring seven straight points for Appalachian to help ASU keep a 14 point cushion.
A late 9-2 Marshall run pulled the Thundering Herd within seven points, making the score 55-48 within a little under five minutes to play.
ASU however was able to stave off Marshall and capture the thrilling five point victory.
Along with Ramirez, Weldon scored a career-high 14 points to go along with a team-high six assists.
As for Marshall, Hammond and Rashedah Henriques both scored in double-figures with Hammond tallying 15 and Henriques 11.
Appalachian now moves to 18-22 all-time in season-openers, notching its first season-opening win since 2006-07 when defeating Central Florida in the Holmes Center. Continuing with the two team's rivalry, now 24 of the squad's 40 meetings have been decided by a single digit margin.
The Black and Gold look to carry their momentum into their next contest, as they take on in-state foe Charlotte, Friday November 20 in the Holmes Center for their home-opener of the 2009-10 campaign, with the tip slated for 7 p.m.
Campbell 80, Wofford 78
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The Wofford women's basketball team opened the 2009-10 season against Campbell, falling 78-80 in a hard-fought battle against the Lady Camels.
Geami Britt led four players in double-digit scoring with 15 points, including a jumper with 48 seconds remaining to give the Lady Camels a one-point lead. Although Wofford outscored Campbell in the second half, 42-40, the Lady Camels' .569 field goal percentage proved too much to overcome.
The game opened with misses on both sides of the court, with the first points being scored at the 17:54 mark on a layup from Campbell's Ashley Williamson. A jumper from Mahagony Williams evened the score at two, and the Terriers were able to gain momentum to build a 13-10 lead. The teams traded three-pointers, leaving Wofford up by three at 16-13 before two straight three-pointers from Rachel Brittenham gave the Terriers a nine-point advantage, their largest of the half.
Wofford maintained the lead until the 6:30 mark, when a three-pointer from Britt tied the score at 26, the fourth tie of the game. The Lady Camels took their first lead since the opening shot off another trey by Britt but the Terriers quickly tied the score at 29 and reclaimed the lead. The Wofford advantage wouldn't last for long, however, and the final minutes of the first half saw the Lady Camels capitalize on two free throws and a two-point shot to take the 40-36 lead at halftime.
Freshman Rachel Brittenham led Wofford in the first half with nine points, going 2-3 from beyond the arc and shooting 3-3 from the free throw line.
Campbell carried the momentum into the opening minutes of the second half, widening its lead to eight points at the 19 minute mark and maintaining at least a three-point lead over the next 11 minutes. A three-pointer from Ashley Kroker with 7:40 remaining tied the score for the first time in the second half at 62 and a made jumper from Maddie Helms gave the Terriers their first advantage of the half.
Neither team led by more than three points in the final seven minutes of the game, with the advantage changing four times before a made jumper from Britt put the Lady Camels up by one with 48 seconds remaining. A Terrier turnover gave the ball back to Campbell, who took advantage of the miscue by pushing its lead to three. A layup from Gramblin with six seconds remaining put the Terriers within one, but a Campbell free throw allowed the Lady Camels to hang on, despite a last-second shot from Gramblin that fell short.
Geami Britt led Campell with 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field. Tonisha Baker and Ashley Williamson each added 13 points, while Amanda O'Neill contributed 10 in the win. Baker recorded a perfect 4-4 night from the field and added five defensive rebounds. Williamson led the team with seven total rebounds.
Three players recorded double-digit points for the Terriers, with freshman Mariah Masalin, senior Kathlyn Varno and junior Maddie Helms contributing 11 points apiece. Masalin earned her first collegiate start and added three assists, three rebounds and a steal for the Terriers. Senior Kelly Dwyer led Wofford with six rebounds and two blocks while also adding three assists and six points to the efford. Junior Mahagony Williams opened the season with nine points and five boards, while freshman Rachel Brittenham also added nine points.
With the win, Campell opens the season 1-0 while Wofford falls to 0-1. The Terriers will continue their road trip Sunday as they travel to UNC Wilmington. Game time is set for 1:00 pm.
Richmond 65, Western Carolina 42
RICHMOND, Va. - Western Carolina women's basketball opened the 2009-10 campaign with a 65-42 loss at Richmond Friday at the Robbins Center. The Catamounts drop to 0-1 to start the Karen Middleton era while the Spiders open the season 1-0.
The game began with both teams feeling each other out and doing a nip and tuck in the scoring department. Richmond built a 16-10 lead before the Catamounts scratched back within two points, going on an 8-2 run to pull within two points, 18-16. Junior guard Kendra Carroll's fast break jumper, scoring two of her team-high 10 points, shaved the Spider lead to two.
With 7:20 left in the first half, Western Carolina had a chance to tie the game when senior forward Kristen Feemster was fouled and earned a trip to the free throw line. Feemster missed both free throws and the ball went back to Richmond.
The Spiders closed out the first half 15-3 run to build a 33-19 advantage at the half. Senior guard Jessica Jackson nailed a three-pointer to start the second half, but the Catamounts then went four minutes without scoring allowing Richmond scored seven un-answered points The Catamounts found themselves in hole and could never dig themselves out of it.
Western Carolina shot 36.4 percent from the field and hit just one three-pointer. The Catamounts were also 9-of-16 from the free throw line. Richmond won the rebound advantage by one, 34-33.
Feemster paced the club in rebounds with 10, which was also a game-high, and also added six points. Sophomore Kaila'Shea Menendez also added six points in the contest.
Western Carolina continues its road swing on Sunday facing East Carolina. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Clemson 68, Furman 48
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Lele Hardy scored a game high 19 points and claimed 11 rebounds to lift Clemson to a 68-48 victory over Furman in women's basketball season opening action for both schools Friday evening at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Hardy delivered her game high scoring peformance by finding the mark on 9-of-25 field goal attempts and claiming a game high six steals to pace the Tigers (1-0), whose triumph avenged last year's 82-68 loss to Furman (0-1) in Greenville.
Shaniqua Pauldo added 17 points for Clemson, which forced 28 Furman turnovers and tallied 19 steals while limiting the Paladins to 29.1 percent shooting. The Tigers coverted just 1-of-13 3-point shots, but attempted 30 more field goal attempts (85-55) than Furman. Keyrra Gillespie was credited with 10 assists.
Furman was paced in scoring by freshman guard Kaitlin Murphy with 11 points. Lee Stephens added 10 points for the Paladins, and senior center Susan Troutman collected a career high 11 rebounds to go along with eight points and three blocks.
The Tigers claimed a 56-44 advantage on the boards.
A Troutman jump shot with 6:24 to go in the first half put Furman ahead, 18-17, but Clemson's April Parker responded with a jumper on the ensuing possession to give the Tigers the lead for good.
Clemson closed the half with with 17-6 run, highlighted by a Hardy layup with 29 seconds remaining to take a 33-23 lead into halftime.
An 11-2 Clemson spurt over the first four minutes of the second gave the Tigers a 44-25 lead and sealed the game's result.
Furman will play at the University of Cincinnati on Sunday in a 7:00 p.m. game.
Live statistical updates and play-by-play of all Furman home games and select away games, including Sunday's game at Cincinnati, are available for free through GameTracker at www.furmanpaladins.com.
No. 5 North Carolina 88, College of Charleston 57
Chapel Hill, N.C. - Laura Broomfield and She'la White scored 14 points each to lead the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heel women's basketball team to the 88-57 win over the College of Charleston in the season-opener for both schools in front of 3,047 fans at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Charleston traded baskets with UNC early and even led by three, 13-10, off a three-pointer by Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) with 14:58 remaining in the first half. The score remained close and at the10:19 mark the Tar Heels only led by one, 21-20. North Carolina took over from there, and used a 25-7 run, sparked by 10 points from Laura Broomfield, to head into the locker room with the 46-27 lead.
The Cougars could get no closer in the second half, as the Tar Heels score 18 points from the charity stripe to hold the lead in double-digits for the final 10 minutes and take the 88-57 win.
Leading the Cougars was Ericka Williams (Blackville, S.C.) who scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. She was followed by Hughes who had 11 points.
North Carolina out-rebounded Charleston, 55-44, and had 11 less turnovers, 31-20. Charleston, who had four three-pointers in the first half, connected on just one in the second to end the game five-for-26 for 19.2 percent. The Tar Heels were five-for-15. Charleston went 10-for-16 from the free throw line, compared to 29-for-47 for UNC.
Charleston shot 38.5 percent in the first half and 28.9 in the second for a 32.8 field goal percentage for the game. North Carolina shot 36.5 percent from the field.
The Cougars are next in action Nov. 16th when they host Clemson at the Carolina First Arena in a 7: p.m. game. For ticket information call 843-953-CofC (2632) or visit www.CofCSports.com.
East Tennessee State 85, Chattanooga 61
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - TaRonda Wiles led all scorers with 24 points to lead East Tennessee State to an 85-61 win over Chattanooga at the Memorial Center in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
The Lady Mocs (0-1) struck first with a 4-0 lead, but Wiles and the rest of the Lady Bucs offense kicked it into high gear. Wiles and Siarre Evans hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put ETSU (1-0) up 6-4 at the 16:58 mark of the first half.
Chattanooga senior Jenaya Wade-Fray (Madison, Ala.) put the Lady Mocs back on top with a 3 of her own just moments later, but a momentum shifting 13-2 run gave East Tennessee State the lead for good at 19-9. Redshirt freshman Michelle Davis (Cleveland, Tenn.) hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 19-12, but that was as close as it would get for UTC the remainder of the game.
The Lady Bucs outscored Chattanooga 30-14 over the next 12:14 and would carry a 49-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was more evenly played as ETSU who went 9-of-16 from the 3-point line in the first half managed just one in four attempts in the second half. East Tennessee outrebounded UTC 48-49, but the Lady Mocs outrebounded the Lady Bucs 28-20 in the second half, beating them on the offensive glass 14-13 for the game.
Senior Shanara Hollinquest (Sylacauga, Ala.), who was held to just five first-half points, snared her first double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wade-Fray also hit double-digits for UTC with 13 points.
Davis had six points for the Lady Mocs with seven rebounds and three assists while senior Megan Rollins (Monteagle, Tenn.) had six points, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman Erin Helton (Cookeville, Tenn.) also tossed in six points with five rebounds.
Chattanooga's scoring woes in the first half included a 9:48 frame where the Lady Mocs went without a bucket and were outscored 25-6 making just free throws.
Wiles went 4-for-4 from the 3-point line and had a pair of steals. Gwen Washington had a double-double for ETSU with 16 points and 10 boards and a team-high three steals. Tara Davis and Evans had 14 and 11 points, respectively, for ETSU in the win.
The Lady Mocs will travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to take on Austin Peay Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Larry Ward, the "Voice of the Lady Mocs", will have all the action live on the flagship station of Mocs athletics, ESPN 105.1 The Zone.
Nebraska 86, Davidson 62
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Four Davidson players finished in double figures, led by 15 from senior Alex Thompson, but a balanced Nebraska attack proved too much, as the Cornhuskers downed the Wildcat women's basketball team, 86-62, in both team's season-opener Friday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Along with Thompson, freshmen Barbara Sitton and Sophia Aleksandravicius and senior Monica Laune finished in double figures for Davidson (0-1).
But Nebraska (1-0) had three players in double figures and five with at least seven points. The Huskers opened a 20-point half-time lead and, despite outscoring Davidson just 40-36 in the second half, prevailed behind their balanced scoring.
Thompson led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Sitton added 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, to go along with four assists and four steals, and Aleksandravicius just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. In her homecoming, Laune was the final Wildcat player in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four steals.
Kelsey Griffin was the high scorer for the Huskers, scoring 13 points and shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including converting her only attempt from behind the line and 2-of-2 attempts from the free throw line. Nicole Neals and Cory Montgomery also finished with double figures for the Huskers, contributing 12 and 11 points, respectively.
As a team, the Wildcats connected on 22-of-54 attempts from the field (40.7 percent) to Nebraska's 26-of-57 (45.6 percent) The Huskers shot a blistering 63 percent (17-of-27) in the first half and converted on 5-of-10 attempts from behind the arc, and made their first nine attempts to open a 22-6 lead with 15 minutes to play in the period.
Sitton scored her first bucket of the game with just over eight minutes remaining to cut Nebraska's lead to just 11, 27-16, but the Huskers would close out the period with a 19-10 edge to take a 20-point lead into the break.
Nebraska cooled in the second half, shooting just 30 percent (9-of-30) from the field, while Davidson elevated its play. Sitton scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, as the Wildcats combined to go 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) overall. The Huskers also made just three of their 11 attempts from long range, but the early lead proved too much to overcome.
Nebraska led by as much as 35 as Kaitlyn Burke converted a pair of free throws with just over nine minutes remaining. Laune's three-point play with twenty seconds to play cut the lead to 24, but Davidson would run of time.
The Wildcats will return to action Sunday, as they close out a two-game Midwest swing with a 2 p.m. contest at Creighton.