UNCG 59, Davidson 58
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson dropped its second close Southern Conference game when UNCG's Janae' Stevenson hit three free throws in the closing 1:48 and the Wildcats got just one more bucket after that in falling 59-58 on Friday afternoon at John M. Belk Arena in women's basketball action.
The Wildcats (4-6, 0-2 SoCon) got a layup from Sophia Aleksandravicius with 1:10 to go, but in their final chance with 10 seconds left, turned the ball over and were forced to foul with one tick on the clock. UNCG's Amanda Leigh missed both free throw attempts, but Davidson had no time left to get off a shot in dropping the one-point decision.
Davidson had dropped a 61-60 decision earlier in the month when it opened up league play at Elon.
Aleksandravicius (10), Kristen Johnsen (12) and Laura Murray (14) each reached double-figures for the Wildcats, who shot just 39 percent from the field.
Leigh had a game-high 18 points for UNCG (6-5, 3-0 SoCon), getting 12 of them from behind the arc, while Stevenson and Monique Floyd had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
In a game that went back-and-forth the majority of the contest, neither team had a lead bigger than seven points when the Spartans' Leigh canned a three-ball for a 49-42 advantage with 10:45 remaining.
Davidson came back and went on a 10-2 run with Murray finishing it off on a running layup to give the 'Cats a 52-51 lead with 6:21 on the clock.
Shneeka Center later gave Davidson back the lead, 56-54, with a pair of free throws, but UNCG tied things up on its next possession with just 2:18 left on the clock. Center finished with six points and five boards off the bench.
For the game, there were 10 ties and 16 lead changes overall. Seven of those ties came in the first half when the Spartans took a 31-29 lead going into halftime. Davidson had grabbed a 25-21 lead after Johnsen hit a 10-foot jumper, but UNCG closed with a 10-4 run for the two-point advantage after one period.
Davidson held a 43-42 edge in rebounds, with three players hauling in six or more. The 'Cats also had their eighth game of the season, and sixth straight, with 10 or more assists as Barbara Sitton dished out a game-high tying five dimes. The sophomore, coming off a career-high 11 vs. Princeton, has dished out 28 assists the last four games.
The Wildcats will look to start the new calendar year out with a win and close out their three-game homestand when they host College of Charleston on Monday, Jan. 3.
Charleston Southern 86, College of Charleston 74
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's basketball team scored a season-high 74 points, but gave up a season-high 86 points as the Cougars fell to cross-town rival Charleston Southern, 86-74, in front of 731 fans at the CSU Fieldhouse in North Charleston, S.C. It was the Bucs' first win over Charleston since a 55-53 decision Nov. 29, 2007, and just the ninth overall.
The Cougars led by seven in the first half, 14-7 with 14:53 on the clock, before Charleston Southern erupted for five straight three-pointers en route to a 22-2 run to take a 29-16 lead with 8:47 to go in the half. Charleston fought back with three three-pointers, including two from Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) in an 11-2 run, to cut the margin to four, 31-27, with six minutes on the clock. Charleston Southern answered, outscoring CofC 14-7 the remainder of the half to head into the locker room with the 11-point, 45-34 lead.
The College of Charleston and Charleston Southern fought back and forth in the second half but every time the Cougars cut the Buc lead to single digits, CSU had an answer, including at the 10:29 mark when Janae Smith (Matteson, Ill.) hit a three-pointer to cut the margin to three, 56-49. Kelsey Wasmer, who led all scorers with 21 points, hit a three-pointer at 9:40 to take the lead back up to 10.
Charleston got no closer than seven the rest of the game as CSU built as much as a 13-point lead before settling on the 12-point, 86-74, win. Charleston cut the lead to seven with just under a minute to go off another three-pointer by Gerty, but Charleston Southern connected on the next five of six free throws to keep the Cougars at bay.
Several career-highs dotted the box score for the Cougars, with Smith posting her first double-double with a career-high 18 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. Megan Fischer (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) led the team with a career-high 20 points off a career-best four three-pointers. Cathryn Hardy's 17 points was a career-best as well. She went a career-high 10-for-13 from the free-throw line. Jillian Brown (Midlothian, Va.) had a team-leading five assists, also a career mark.
Aside from Wasmer, three other Bucs were in double-figures, with Lakeitha Alston at 18, Kiki Rutledge at 16 and Anicia Dotson and 11. Wasmer also paced the team with seven rebounds.
The Cougars shot 40.9 percent from the field, compared to 46.6 percent for Charleston Southern. The Bucs, who hit six-of-17 three-pointers, ended the game with an eight-for-24 effort. Charleston was nine-for-24. CofC went 15-of-21 from the free throw line, while CSU was 24-for-35.
Charleston out-rebounded CSU, 41-37 and had two more turnovers, 17-15.
The Cougars continue their six-game road trip with a trek to Davidson, N.C. Jan. 3 to take on the Davidson Wildcats in Southern Conference action. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.