Wofford 85, Campbell 81 (OT)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Led by senior forward Mahagony Williams' career-high 21 points, the Wofford College picked up their first victory of the 2010-11 season with an 85-81 overtime win over the Campbell Camels Wednesday night in Ben Johnson Arena.
With Williams leading the way, all five of the Terriers starters finished with double-digits points. Rachel Brittenham had 14 points, April Moorhouse followed with 13 points and Mariah Masalin and Jessica Escorza chipped in 11 points apiece.
Williams toppled her previous career record of 20 points. She had achieved the feat twice in career, most recently against Elon on March 4, 2010. She also recorded her second double-double of the season and the team's second double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds. The mark is three board shy of her career-high of 17 set against Davidson on February 23, 2008. On the season, Williams is averaging a double-double with 13.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest.
Wofford got on the scoreboard first in the game for the first time this season as Williams dropped in the first bucket. Wofford used an aggressive upbeat tempo, not shown in their previous two games, to take an 11-5 lead with 16:21 left on the clock. Three minutes later, Campbell had cut the lead to to 16-14, and eventually took the lead, 19-18,on a Monique Spry layup with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half.
The Terriers fought back and reclaimed the lead on a Masalin basket, 24-23, before ceding the lead to the Camels, 26-24, at the seven minute mark on jumper by Spry. Wofford tied the game on a Moorhouse putback at 30 with 5:20 to play, but Campbell closed out the half on 9-3 run to take a 39-33 lead into the intermission.
Spry led all scorers at the break with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Both team sported high shooting percentages in the first half as Campbell held a 50 percent field goal percent and a 50 percent three point percentage compared to Wofford's 42 percent field goal percentage and 33 percent three point percentage. The Camels converted eight of their ten attempts from the free throw line, while the Terriers missed on their three attempts from the line.
Coming out of the locker rooms, Campbell immediately pushed their lead to ten points, 43-33, just a minute into the half. Wofford cut the lead to three on a Daniella Motley offensive rebound and putback, and later to one, 47-46, on a Williams offensive board and basket at the 11:24 mark.
The Terriers tied the contest at 48, on a Masalin putback following a Moorhouse missed three with ten minutes to play, but the Camels regained control of the game and ran the lead to as high as nine, 63-57, with just over four and a half minutes to play.
Wofford slowly chipped away at the lead as they pulled with three, 68-85, on a Williams post move with 1:12 to play.
Following a Terrier timeout and a defensive stop Wofford pulled within one on a two Moorhouse free throws. After trading free throws and made baskets the Terriers caught a break when Kate Cloxton missed the first of two foul shots. On Wofford's next possession Brittenham made the second of her two attempts to make it a one-point game, 71-70. On the inbounds Wofford immediately fouled Cloxton sending her to the line. She made the first and missed the second leaving the door open for Wofford to tie game on the final possession. Fanchon Sartor, who had only re-entered game after Brittenham fouled out, banked in a floater from the free throw line with .02 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime. The basket was Sartor's only of the game.
In the second half, Wofford outshot Campbell 51 percent overall and 50 percent from three compared to the Camels 35 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three. Down the stretch Wofford's Moorhouse and Williams made five of their attempt seven free throws as the team made six of their nine attempts. Campbell went to line more but couldn't convert on enough to seal the win. The Camels where 10-of-15 from the line in the half.
In the overtime period, Wofford never trialled but battled through three ties before breaking the games final tie at 78-78 free throws from Escorza and Williams to make it 80-78 with 53 seconds to play. Escorza seemingly put the game away with a three on one of Sartor's five assists to make it 83-78 Wofford with 23 seconds left. Williams iced the game with two free throws after a Wofford defensive stop, before Campbell's Spry made a long three at the buzzer to give the game the final score of 85-81, Wofford.
Williams, who only scored four points in the first half, scored 17 points in the second half and overtime period including seven of Wofford's 13 overtime points.
Brittenham set a career-high with a game-high six assists, and Masalin's 11 points tied the sophomore's career mark. Escorza has now scored in double-digits in each of the Terriers first three games of the season with her 11 points.
Campbell was led by Lauren Yesh, who scored 18 points, while Spry contributed with 17 points. Courtney Cannon added 12 points, and Jazmine Cooper tallied ten points.
Wednesday's win was the first time Wofford had beaten Campbell in six attempts.
Wofford will return to the hardwood Monday against Southern Virginia in Ben Johnson Arena with tip off slated for 6 p.m.
Western Carolina 78, UNC Asheville 59
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Emily Clarke scored a season-high 22 points and Caitlin Hollifield added a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds, to help lead Western Carolina women's basketball (1-2) to a 78-59 win at UNC Asheville (1-1) Wednesday in the Justice Center.
With the 22 points, Clarke needs just two points to reach the 1,000 point plateau. She will become the 22nd women's player to hit this milestone in school history.
Clarke and Hollifield were two of four Catamount players to record double figures in scoring. Senior Kendra Carroll scored in double figures for the third straight game with 11 points and freshman guard Rena Wakama added a career-high 12 points. Wakama is the first of the five freshmen on the squad to score in double figures this season.
Clarke came off the bench to give Western Carolina a lift early in the first half. The Catamounts were up by three, after back-to-back jumpers by Hollifield, when Clarke got into the game and hit three consecutive treys to push Western Carolina's lead to 12.
Clarke's three long range shots helped Western Carolina to an 18-3 run over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs and take a 14 point lead, 25-11, with 8:27 left in the first half. UNCA cut Western Carolina's lead down to single digits twice in the last two minutes of the half, but a made bucket and free throw after UNCA foul, by Clarke, gave WCU a 38-27 lead at the half.
UNCA came out of the locker room in the second half and trimmed Western Carolina's lead to five, the smallest margin since UNCA was down by one in the first four minutes of the first half, thanks to Bulldog Grace Blaylock's back-to-back three pointers. Clarke answered with a three pointer of her own, nailing her season-best fifth three-pointer in the game, to push Western Carolina's lead back to 10, 45-35.
Western Carolina never trailed in the second half. It built its largest lead of the game with 19 seconds left with a field goal by Wakama.
The Catamounts hit a season-high seven three pointers in the game. WCU did find some woes at the charity stripe, hitting just 7-of-15 from the free throw line. Western Carolina ripped down 42 rebounds to UNC Asheville's 34 and dished out 16 assists. Clarke tied her season-high with three assists and junior Laura Sanchez also had three.
Eleven of the 12 Catamount players saw action in the game. Freshman Kristen Lyon was on the court for the first time this season and hit a field goal in four minutes of play. Western Carolina scored 34 points in the paint and had 24 points off the Bulldog's 21 turnovers. WCU also got 40 points from its bench, with 22 coming from Clarke.
Western Carolina returns to action Sunday playing at No. 14 North Carolina. Tip time is set for 3 p.m.
Richmond 88, Appalachian State 78
RICHMOND, VA.- Appalachian State University women's basketball used a late 9-0 run to cut its once double-digit deficit to just five points, but the Apps' late rally fell short as the Black and Gold dropped an 88-78 decision to Richmond Wednesday evening in the Spiders' home-opener. The loss marks ASU's first of the season as the squad falls to 2-1 overall and while Richmond improves to 2-1.
A made Chakeitha Weldon free throw sparked the Appalachian run with under four minutes to play and the Mountaineers who were once down by as many as 15 in the second half began to show some life.
Kelsey Sharkey, Ashlen Dewart and Canesha Edwards all contributed to ASU's comeback bid, but the Spiders scored the final five points of the game and hung on to hand ASU the 10 point loss.
Edwards was just one of four Mountaineers who finished the contest in double-figures as she poured in 12, along with grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists.
First half play saw the lead change hands six times before a 17-6 Spider streak put Richmond in control the final six minutes of first half action.
Abby Oliver paced Richmond's offensive assault during the run scoring 10 points, with six of them coming from behind the arc.
Along with Oliver, offensive stud Brittani Shells contributed to Richmond's lead as well registering four points.
Shells ended with a game-best 28 points, while swiping six steals and recording five assists.
Both Weldon and Sam Ramirez tried to get something going on the offensive front late in the first , but the veteran guard duo did not have an answer and Richmond took the 49-38 lead into the break.
In one of many second-half spurts, ASU clawed its way back cutting a once double-digit lead to just five points, outscoring Richmond 10-2 to make the score 60-55 with a little under 12 minutes to play.
Anna Freeman, Courtney Freeman and Edwards all provided the spark for Appalachian as the three combined for eight of the ten points during the run.
Anna Freeman was the Black and Gold's leading scorer on the night totaling 19 points, while also grabbing five rebounds and registering five assists.
A back and forth affair ensued and Appalachian was able to pull within five points down the stretch, but unfortunate turnovers and lack of execution on the offensive front proved costly and the Mountaineers suffered their first loss of the season.
Hoping to rebound, the slate does not get any easier, as Appalachian caps off its season-opening four-game road trip at former Southern Conference rival East Tennessee State. The game between the Mountaineers and Lady Bucs is set to tip off at 7 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn.