Chattanooga 64, Davidson 62

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Senior Shanara Hollinquest recorded her ninth double-double of the year and led three Chattanooga players in double figures as the Lady Mocs held off Davidson, 64-62, Monday night at Belk Arena.

The Lady Mocs are 12-6 on the year and move to 7-2 in Southern Conference play and first place overall. Davidson evens out its record to 8-8 and 6-2 in league action.

Hollinquest (Sylacauga, Ala.) went 5-for-8 on the night and had five free throws to lead the Lady Mocs with 15 points and grabbed her ninth double-double of the year with 11 rebounds. Freshman Kayla Christopher (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists and redshirt freshman Michelle Davis (Cleveland, Tenn.) had 11 points for UTC, four rebounds and two crucial steals.

Christopher got the scoring started early sinking both of her 3-pointers to get UTC out to an 8-2 lead less than five minutes into the game. Redshirt freshman Kiara Smith (Rome, Ga.) capped a 17-4 UTC run with back-to-back treys with 12:32 to play in the first half.

Davidson cut the lead back to single digits with five straight points before Smith drained her career-high third 3-pointer to put UTC up 20-9 with 10:44 in the half. Davidson outscored the Lady Mocs 22-15 over the remainder of the half and the Lady Mocs went into the break with a narrow 32-26 lead.

In the second half, the Lady Mocs would build its lead back to double digits with its largest margin of the game at 54-39 with 10:44 to play in the game. However, Davidson would chip away and hold UTC scoreless for the next 4:04 and trail 54-48 with 6:40 to play.

The Lady Mocs ended the scoring drought on a layin by sophomore Tenisha Townsend (Antioch, Tenn.) and Christopher connected on the front end of a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to 57-48 with 5:16 to go.

On Christopher's miss, the Wildcats grabbed the rebound and converted on a layup by Kristen Johnsen and converted another UTC missed shot into a layup from Julia Paquette to get within five points at 57-52 at the 4:14 mark.

Paquette would foul Hollinquest on the trip down the court and she made both free throws to put UTC back up 59-52 with 3:05 to play, but Ashley Lax cut that lead back to four on a 3-pointer for a 59-55 lead for UTC at the 2:53 mark.

Chattanooga would turn the ball over twice and foul the Wildcats putting Alex Thompson at the line for two shots. She missed the second of her two free throws and Davis grabbed the board. UTC would miss on the other end, but Hollinquest grabbed the rebound and converted on the layup with 1:34 to play and put UTC back up 61-56.

The two teams would trade free throws to keep the margin at five before Davidson cut the lead to three with a jumper from Sophia Aleksandravicius with nine seconds to play. The Wildcats fouled Christopher and she made the first of her two putting the Lady Mocs up 64-60 with eight seconds to play.

Barbara Sitton went the length of the court on the throw in getting a layup with just one tick on the clock and the Lady Mocs held on to win 64-62 and move a half game into first place over Davidson.

The Lady Mocs will return to action Saturday at Noon in a league contest against Western Carolina. The game will be televised by Fox SportSouth and on the radio on ESPN Radio 105.1 The Zone. Larry Ward, "The Voice of the Lady Mocs" will have the call. Live stats and audio streaming will be available at the official website of UTC athletics, GoMocs.com. 

Georgia Southern 54, Furman 50

STATESBORO, Ga. – Tied at 45-45 with 45 seconds in the game, Furman missed a jumper sending the Southern Conference match-up into overtime. Georgia Southern scored early in overtime, taking a three-point advantage as Furman danced around the lead, but never gained control. Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.) connected on a pair from the charity stripe to push the score to 53-50 Georgia Southern. Paladin Reagan Thompson’s three-point attempt with four seconds hit the rim, but did not fall. With one second left, Janay Wilson (Warner Robins, Ga.) picked up a foul from Lee Stephens and hit the front end of a pair to make it a two possession game, sealing the final score for Georgia Southern, 54-50.

With the win – the first overtime game played by Georgia Southern since a win at Western Carolina in 2007 – put the Lady Eagles back at .500 at 8-8 overall and 3-4 in league play. Dropping the decision, Furman fell to 5-12, 3-5.

Caught in early foul trouble, J’Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) scored six points within the first half, but added 10 to finish as the leading scorer for the Eagles with 16 points. Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) added nine points and led with a team-high seven rebounds, as did Samantha Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.).

Stephens paced the scoring offense for Furman with 19 points. Ledford added 10 and finished with a game-high eight boards.

Making an impact on the game, Georgia Southern shot 9-of-14 from the free throw line, while Furman went 18-of-29. For the game, the Lady Eagles shot 42 percent from the floor (21-50) to the Paladins’ 30 percent (14-47).

“It’s a huge win for the team. It allows us to go back into practice with a little more confidence and start focusing on building back to where we want to be,” stated Lady Eagle head coach Rusty Cram. “We got in foul trouble in the first half which forced us to play our younger kids and we simply couldn’t find any rhythm offensively or defensively.

“But we came back in the second half, got a little tougher and held our composure down the stretch. Now we have to keep people from getting in foul trouble.”

It was a challenge at the charity stripe through the second media timeout of the first half as Georgia Southern took four trips, converting two, to the Paladin’s 7-of-11 effort allowing the opposition to build an early 11-9 lead. The advantage stayed within two points as GS took a slight 15-14 lead off a Briana Scott (Dumfries, Va.) field goal before Ayanna Randolph responded for Furman.  The Paladins used a late 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead 29-20 with 1:05 to play in the opening frame. Williams – making her first collegiate start – brought the halftime score to 29-22 with a jumper at the 54.3 marker.

GS quickly erased its halftime deficit with a 6-0 run sparked by Ogburn, who drained two baskets, and Candice Ivy (Roswell, Ga.), drawing the score to 29-28. Held scoreless for the first four minutes, Furman put in a bucket with a Laklyn Ledford jumper at the 15:54 mark. A Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) three-pointer gave Georgia Southern its first lead since 5:41 in the first half, 33-31. After Furman pitted the score at 33-all, an Ogburn –Whitney combination gave the Lady Eagles their largest lead of the game at 37-34.The Paladins held the Lady Eagles scoreless from the third media timeout capitalizing on an 8-0 run to retake control of the contest, 42-37 with 3:25 remaining.

Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) brought GS to within three points taking the first Lady Eagle trip to the charity stripe since 3:52 in the first half as Ogburn nailed two consecutive lay-ups to knot the score at 43-43 with 1:45 left to play. Kendra Berry connected on a one-and-one to give Furman the two-point lead, but Whitney tied it up with a lay-up, 45-45. With 22.4 seconds on the clock, Furman turned it over and despite a Georgia Southern possession, the Lady Eagles were sent into their first overtime game since 2007 at Western Carolina.

GS won the tip to start overtime and Ogburn immediately scored in the paint giving Georgia Southern a 47-45 advantage. But Thompson responded with a three-pointer to switch control. A jumper from Whitney put the Lady Eagles back in the lead, which would never be relinquished. Stephens brought the Paladins to within one, 51-50, but two GS trips to the charity stripe sealed the game for the Lady Eagles. Navarro and Wilson combined for a 3-of-4 effort from the free throw line, clinching the overtime win for Georgia Southern, 54-50.

The Lady Eagles return to the court at Wofford, Saturday, January 16. Tip-off in Spartanburg, S.C., is slated for 3:00 p.m.

Samford 71, Appalachian State 65

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball pulled within four points with just under 50 seconds remaining, but the Mountaineers were unable to come away with a win Monday evening at the Holmes Center, as late free throws iced the game and gave visiting Samford the 71-65 victory. With the loss, ASU falls to 7-9 on the season and 3-4 in the SoCon, while Samford improves to 12-6 overall and 6-3 in conference action.

The Apps found themselves down by as many as 14 points with 15:31 to play, but a 10-2 Mountaineer streak, cut Appalachian's deficit to just six points at 50-44. Six different Mountaineers were able to execute on the offensive end of the floor, contributing to ASU's run.

Samford and Appalachian continued to battle back and forth, and two Canesha Edwards buckets along with a Catherine Williams layup gave the Bulldogs just a three point advantage with a little under nine minutes to play.

Edwards ended the game with 10 points, marking just the second time she finished in double-figures this season.

Falling behind by nine at the 2:21 mark, an Anna Freeman trey made it a six-point game once again, with two minutes to go. Williams converted on a layup as well, but the Apps were unable to get a defensive stop and five final made free throws by Samford gave SU the six point win.

The Bulldogs began the game on fire; drilling two straight three pointers to notch the early six point lead. Production from behind the arc continued for SU, as Emily London hit her second trey of the night just three minutes into the contest.

Appalachian countered, with Edwards and Williams getting the Black and Gold's offense going early on, as the duo scored six of ASU's first eight points.

A London jumper with 8:43 remaining in the first capped off a 10-2 Bulldog run, putting Samford on top 20-13. However, the Mountaineers finished the first half on a strong note, as two final Edwards free throws saw ASU head into the break down 35-28.

In a hard-fought second half, Appalachian was never able to get over the three-point hump and take the lead, as sharp shooting from the charity stripe (80.8 percent in the game) gave Samford the closely contested win.

The Mountaineers now take a four-day reprieve before returning to action Saturday January 16, as the Apps hit the road for a crucial SoCon match-up against UNCG at the Spartan's Fleming Gym. The contest is slated to begin at 3 p.m.

College of Charleston 65, Wofford 52

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) scored 15 points, while Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) added 12, all from beyond the three-point arc, to lead the College of Charleston women's basketball team to the 65-52 win over Wofford in front of 236 fans tonight at the Carolina First Arena.

Charleston won its 14th straight home game, dating back to last season, and is 7-0 on the year.  The Cougars improved to 11-5 overall and 6-2 in the Southern Conference.  Wofford dropped to 2-12 and 1-6 in the league.

Wofford jumped ahead early and led 11-2 with 15:49 to go in the first half before Kotcella rattled off five of her 15 points in a span of 40 seconds and Hughes added a three-pointer to cut the margin to one at 13:41.  Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.), who had six points on the night, connected on a lay-up at 13:20 to give the Cougars the one-point lead.

Charleston outscored Wofford 24-3 starting at the 15:49 mark and built a 12-point, 26-14 lead with 9:15 remaining in the half.  The Terriers responded with a 10-0 spurt to cut the margin to two with just over six to play but were out-scored 13-3 down the stretch and went into the locker room trailing by 12, 39-27.

Wofford cut the margin to 10 early in the second half and again at the 7:28 mark but couldn't get any closer as the Cougars held the Terriers to 32.1 percent from the field in the second half.  Charleston led by as much as 20 in the second half before settling on the 13-point, 65-52 win.

Following Kotcella and Hughes, Deidra Jones (Irmo, S.C.) was the only other Cougar in double-figures with 11.  Her six rebounds led the team.  Natalie Gramblin led the Terriers with 13 points.  April Moorhouse and Kelly Dwyer paced Wofford in rebounds with six apiece.

Charleston shot 38.6 percent for the game, compared to 37.0 for Wofford.  The Terriers out-rebounded the Cougars, 41-36, but had 10 more turnovers, 33-23.  Charleston scored 37 of its points off turnovers, while Wofford posted 32.  Jones went five-for-six from the charity stripe to lead the Cougars' 14-for-18 effort.  The Terriers were six-for-12.

Charleston is next in action Saturday, Jan. 16 as the Cougars host Davidson at 2 p.m.

UNC Greensboro 75, Western Carolina 61

GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro turned in a dominating first half and Amanda Leigh hit the 20-point mark for the second game in a row as the Spartans dropped Western Carolina 75-61 Monday night to snap a two-game skid.

Leigh finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including a 4-for-8 night from 3-point range. The four triples gave her 79 for her career, moving her into 10th place on UNCG’s career list, one ahead of Jai Cole, who hit 78 from 1993-97.

Lakiah Hyson had 16 points for UNCG (6-9, 3-4 Southern Conference), while freshman Dayshaun Richbow flirted with a double-double with nine points and seven rebounds, both career highs. Emily Clarke led the Catamounts (3-13, 2-5 SoCon) with 16 points and Brittany Ferguson had a career-best 12 off the bench.

UNCG put together its highest-scoring first half of the season, shooting a solid 53.3 percent from the floor – and hitting its final six shots – in running out to a 44-30 halftime lead. Hyson had 14 points in the first half.

The Spartans trailed 19-18 with 7:19 to go in the opening half, but Richbow ignited a 10-0 run with a spinning layup and added a free throw for a three-point play. Sarah Folwell hit the second of her two 3-pointers on the evening, followed by Brey Dorsett’s layup and a jumper from Richbow to make it 28-19 in UNCG’s favor with 5:20 to play.

A Ferguson jumper snapped the run, but the Spartans continued to pile on, outscoring the Catamounts 26-11 to end the half.

Western Carolina rallied a bit to start the second frame, cutting UNCG’s lead to 10 at 48-38 on Clarke’s jumper with 16:02 to play.

Leigh answered with a 3 and UNCG weathered the storm, eventually pushing its lead to as many as 20 twice in the second half. Dorsett’s 3-pointer with 6:24 to play made it a 68-48 contest and put the Spartans up by 20 for the first time.

A jumper from Ferguson and a 3-pointer from Kendra Carroll drew Western back within 15, but UNCG countered with a Richbow jumper and a Leigh 3 to push it back to 20 at 73-53 with just over four minutes to play.

The Catamounts finished the game on an 8-2 run – with Ferguson scoring six of those points – but the outcome of the game had been decided by that point.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for UNCG, which had fallen on the road to Davidson and Wofford in its last two contests. Leigh scored a career-best 21 points at Wofford on Friday and has scored 20-plus points in consecutive games for the first time in her career.

“I think Amanda is finally getting to where we thought she could be,” UNCG coach Lynne Agee said. “Amanda’s always been a shooter. She’s handled the ball well as a guard, too; she’s a fine passer. She needed to learn other ways to score when that shot wasn’t falling and she’s being aggressive now. She’s beginning to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket, she’s getting to the free throw line. We need her to do more.”

UNCG returns to action on Wednesday when it will host rival Elon at 7 p.m. at Fleming Gym.

NOTES: Hyson missed a pair of free throws in the second half, halting her string of 23 makes in 24 attempts. She was 6-for-8 from the line in the game, however, giving her 25 makes in her last 28 tries. … UNCG blocked eight shots on the evening, one shy of the school record. Agne Girstautaite had four of those. … Hyson and Monique Floyd shared game-high honors with five assists each. … UNCG matched its season low with 13 turnovers. The Spartans forced 20 Western Carolina miscues. … The win was UNCG’s first against the Catamounts since the 2005-06 season, snapping Western’s six-game winning streak in the series.