UNC Wilmington 62, UNCG 58
GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG put four in double figures and cut a 14-point second-half deficit to two points but couldn't complete the comeback, falling to UNC Wilmington in the Spartans' home-opener on Monday, 62-58.
Monique Floyd scored a team-best 12 points for UNCG, while Brey Dorsett, Sidnei Harmon and Dayshaun Richbow added 10 each. The 10 points were a career high for both Harmon and Richbow, while Dorsett missed hers by just one point.
UNCW's Brittany Blackwell had the game's lone double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs. Martha White just missed a double-double of her own with 14 points and nine boards.
UNCG (0-2) trailed 34-20 early in the second half, but began to steadily chop away. The Spartans turned in a 15-5 run to cut it to 39-35 with 11:31 to play, getting at least two points each from six different players in the spurt. After the teams traded buckets, UNCW (1-0) answered with a 10-1 run to stretch its lead back to double figures.
The Spartans had yet another comeback in them, turning in another big run - 16-5 - to bring the game down to the wire. Harmon's pair of free throws with 1:49 left made it a one-possession game for the first time since just under eight minutes into the game, and Floyd's free throw made it a two-point game at 56-54 with 1:22 left on the clock.
The Seahawks would quell the rally, however, putting the game away at the free throw line to escape with the win. UNCW was 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute of action, and got big plays when it needed them, including a blocked shot by White on a Floyd drive and an offensive rebound from Blackwell off a missed free throw.
Harmon got a pair of buckets in the last 16 seconds, but UNCG ran out of time to finish the comeback.
"We responded," UNCG coach Lynne Agee said. "We had four in double figures, and we need that every night out. It was a balanced job and our bench gave us some good minutes. It's a disappointing loss."
UNCG dug its big hole with 26 turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half. The Spartans had nearly as many turnovers as points in the first half, as they found themselves trailing 32-18 at the break. UNCG also shot just 23.1 percent (6-for-26) from the floor in the opening stanza.
The Spartans had field goal droughts of 6:38 and 5:03 in the first half, helping UNCW pull away.
"Very seldom do you win after that," Agee said. "We dug a hole for ourselves and Wilmington showed us what the pace was. We think we play up-tempo, and they just ran us to death in the first 20 minutes."
The Seahawks dominated the paint on the evening, outscoring UNCG there 38-16. UNCW also had 17 fastbreak points to just five for the Spartans.
UNCG did have the advantage with its bench, as the Spartan reserves scored 24 points to just 10 for UNCW's bench.
The Spartans finished shooting 38.8 percent from the floor (19-for-49) after a solid second-half showing (13-for-23, 56.5 percent).
Floyd had a nice all-around game, pulling down a team-best seven rebounds and dishing off a team-high six assists to complement her dozen points.
UNCG returns to action on Monday, Nov. 22, when it heads down to Charleston, S.C., for a contest at Charleston Southern. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m.
Texas Tech 58, Samford 42
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Samford women's basketball team dropped its 2010-11 season-opener, falling at Texas Tech, 58-42, Monday night at United Spirit Arena.
The Bulldogs led for the majority of the contest, but a 20-2 run allowed the Red Raiders to take control of the game in the second half.
"One of the things we've talked about doing is playing harder than our opponent, and I thought for the most part we did that," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "I was very pleased with our effort. We were defending well and executing well. They did a good job of pressing us full-court and we have to do a better job of attacking it."
Samford was led by senior guard Emily London with 13 points and six rebounds. Jazmine Powers scored six points and pulled down five rebounds, while Savannah Hill added five points and six rebounds.
For Texas Tech, Kierra Mallard led the way with 17 points. Casey Morris scored 12 points, while Teena Wickett added eight points and 12 rebounds.
As a team, Samford shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three-point range, while Texas Tech made 35.7 percent of its shots and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc. Texas Tech outrebounded Samford, 39-31.
Samford scored the first seven points of the game to grab an early 7-0 lead after a three-pointer by Hannah Dawson with 18:18 to go in the first half. Texas Tech fought back to cut the lead to three at 11-8 and again at 13-10, but Samford then went on an 8-0 run to push its lead to 11 at 21-10 with 10:17 to go in the half after a three-pointer by J'Quita Babineaux.
The Red Raiders came back to cut the Samford lead to two at 23-21 with 7:16 to go in the opening half after a pair of free throws by Jordan Barncastle. Neither team scored for nearly six minutes until Samford's Shelby Campbell hit a jumper to give the Bulldogs a 25-21 lead with 1:33 to go in the half. A pair of TTU free throws by Mallard cut the Samford lead back to two at 25-23, but a late three-pointer by Ruth Ketcham sent Samford to halftime with a 28-23 lead.
With Samford leading, 30-26 with 17:14 to go in the contest, Texas Tech took control of the game with a 20-2 run to take a 46-32 lead with 8:00 left in the game after a jumper by Wickett.
Samford fought back to cut the lead to eight at 50-42 with 3:28 to go after a pair of free throws by Hill. Texas Tech, however, scored the final eight points in the game to come away with the 58-42 win.
With the loss, Samford is now 0-1 on the season. Texas Tech improves to 2-0 with the win.
Samford will return to action on Thursday evening when the Bulldogs play at 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start from Memorial Gymnasium. Fans can listen to the game locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.
No. 4 Tennessee 103, Chattanooga 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball team had a rough outing at No. 4 Tennessee at Thompson-Boiling Arena in Knoxville, Monday night. The Lady Mocs dropped their second game of the season with a 103-43 decision.
With a crowd of over 10,000, it was a tough start in the big-time atmosphere for the young Lady Mocs. Tennessee raced out to a 19-0 lead on 7-of-10 shooting, including a 3-for-3 performance from behind the arc from Meighan Simmons. UTC wasn't helping matters on the other end of the floor, starting the game 0-6 with seven turnovers in the first five minutes of action.
Freshman Alex Black (Memphis, Tenn.) finally broke the ice for Chattanooga with a pull-up jumper at the 14:22 mark. However, that was one of just a few good looks the Lady Mocs got at the basket in the first half.
Tennessee showed off its top-five national ranking with tough defense and lights out shooting in the opening frame. The Lady Vols shot a school-record 11-for-18 from behind the arc in the first half while forcing 17 turnovers and posting a 51-16 lead at the break.
Things didn't get much better in the second half as Tennessee added another 52 points on 49% shooting in the final 20 minutes. The Lady Vols had five players in double figures, led by 26 from Simmons.
UTC was led by Whitney Hood who finished with 22 points. The junior forward from Meridian, Miss., was 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the foul line. She was the only Lady Moc in double figures and also had a team-high eight rebounds.
The Lady Mocs are back in action on Friday, Nov. 19 when they continue their road trip through the SEC with a visit to Georgia. Tip-off against the Lady Bulldogs is set for 7:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) in Athens, Ga., and fans can catch the game live on ESPN Radio 105.1 FM or on Chattanooga All-Access on GoMocs.com.
The next home game is Tuesday, Nov. 23, against Austin Peay at 7:00 p.m. in McKenzie Arena. Tickets are available by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or online on GoMocs.com.