UNC Greensboro 79, Catawba 55
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Junior Monique Floyd scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and classmate Kendra Smith scored a team-high 16 points as UNC Greensboro cruised to a 79-55 exhibition win over Catawba on Saturday.
Catawba's Milica Ivanovic scored a game-high 20 points for the Lady Indians, all of which came in the second half.
UNCG put four players in double figures, as Amanda Leigh scored 11 points and freshman Sidnei Harmon added 10.
Senior Lakiah Hyson got off to a hot start, scoring six points in a 10-0 UNCG run to open the game. A pair of Elizabeth Merritt free throws at the 15:28 mark finally got the Lady Indians on the board, but that was as close as it would get.
Catawba kept the margin manageable for the next several minutes, and Maggie Sullivan's layup with 8:49 left made it 25-14. But UNCG's offense came roaring to life, with a Floyd jumper igniting a 28-2 run to end the half.
Freshman Brey Dorsett banked in a 3-pointer and Smith followed with the second of her two triples on the day. Hyson added a pair of free throws to push the Spartans' lead over 20 for the first time on the afternoon, making the score 35-14 with 5:09 left in the half.
The Lady Indians briefly got their deficit back under 20 with a pair of Jolysa Connor free throws with 4:16 left, but that was the last time Catawba would score in the opening frame.
The trio of Smith, Floyd and Harmon took over from there, with Smith and Floyd scoring four each and Harmon adding six as UNCG scored the final 18 points of the half to take a 53-16 lead into the locker room.
Ivanovic and the Lady Indians dictated the flow of the game after the break, with the junior from Belgrade, Serbia, scoring nine points in a 13-5 run that got Catawba's deficit back under 30 at 58-29 with 14:02 to play.
Renee Welfare's layup made the score 60-35 in UNCG's favor with 11:12 to play, but Leigh answered with a 3-pointer to start a 13-2 run to stretch the lead back to 36 with 5:28 to play.
Ivanovic wasn't done, hitting back-to-back 3s for the Lady Indians, but Catawba would get no closer than the final margin of 24 points.
UNCG shot an impressive 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from the floor in the first half, but cooled off considerably after the break, shooting 28.6 percent (10-for-35). For the game, the Spartans were 31-for-74 (41.9 percent).
Catawba shot just 31.3 percent for the game (20-for-64), including a 51.7 percent showing in the second half (15-for-29).
The Spartans dominated the glass, holding a 56-37 rebounding advantage. All but two UNCG players finished with at least two boards, with freshman Dayshaun Richbow pulling down seven. Six of Floyd's game-high 11 were on the offensive end of the floor.
Merritt paced the Lady Indians with nine rebounds.
UNCG opens the regular season Saturday, Nov. 14, when it hosts Morgan State at 3 p.m. at Fleming Gym.
Western Carolina 69, Tusculum 48
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Senior forward Kristen Feemster recorded a double-double, with 15 points and 13 rebounds, to help lead Western Carolina women's basketball, and new Head Coach Karen Middleton, to a 69-48 win over Tusculum in its lone exhibition game Saturday.
The Catamounts dominated the first 10 minutes of the game outscoring Tusculum 24-6. The score was 8-6 with 14:11 left to play when WCU went on a 16-0 run to build its lead. A pair of lay-ups by freshman forward Richelle Price and a 4-of-5 performance at the free throw line, by the team, helped push the points for the Catamounts.
Tusculum did battle back in the final 10 minutes of the half, as the team was nearly evenly matched in the points department. Western Carolina scored 13 points to close out the half and Tusculum had 12 to make the score 36-20 at the break.
Up by 18 to start the second half, Western Carolina held Tusculum scoreless for the first three minutes. Heather Swayne's bucket to start the final 20 minutes jump-started Western Carolina to build a 26 point lead with 17:11 remaining. The Catamounts also forced five Tusculum turnovers in that span.
The scrappy Tusculum squad battled back and cut the Western Carolina lead to 19 twice, the second time at the 9:44 mark off a jumper by Catherine Hintz. Catamount senior guard Jessica Jackson answered by draining a three-pointer at the top of the key, her only three of the night, to push the lead back to 22.
Western Carolina scored just nine points in the final seven minutes of the game while Tusculum scored 10.
Overall, Western Carolina shot 36.5 percent from the field and was outrebounded 42 to 41 by Tusculum. The Catamounts went to the free throw line 23 times connecting on 19 for 82.6 percent.
Feemster not only led the team with the 15 points and 13 rebounds she also filled the stat sheets with four steals and two blocked shots. Junior Emily Clarke added 12 points while Kaila'Shea Menendez and Richelle Price each had eight points.
Western Carolina opens the season on the road facing the Richmond Spiders. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.