College of Charleston 40, Georgia Southern 39
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Georgia Southern (8-11, 5-5) took two shots in the final four seconds but fell to the College of Charleston (5-13, 2-7) 40-39. The Lady Eagles scored less than 40 points for just the second time this season and were led by Meredyth Frye's 12 points. Frye scored 10 of those points in the second half. Krista Tate added seven points and set a career high with 12 rebounds.
The Lady Eagles tried to find a hot hand and used 13 different players. Jordi Cook played in her first game since the January 8th contest with Davidson. Jamie Navarro had a solid night with six points, four assists and three rebounds.
Frye led GSU out of the break and drained six quick points to pull the team within three points, 21-19, with 16:39 to play. The Lady Eagles battled for most of the second half, but Charleston kept the lead at four points, 38-34, with 1:35 remaining. Navarro cut the lead to one point with a three on the following possession to pull Georgia Southern within one point.
Georgia Southern led for most of the first half, but the College of Charleston took an 18-13 lead at halftime with a 10-3 run over the final seven minutes of the period. The Lady Eagles had six different players score in the first, but none recorded more than one field goal. GSU used 12 different Lady Eagles in the first half. Navarro and MiMi DuBose led GSU with three points each.
The Lady Eagles forced a turnover on Charleston's next possession but could not get a second Navarro three to fall. Janae Smith drained a pair of free throws to extend the Cougars' lead to three points, 40-37, with 24 seconds left in the period. Frye missed a shot in the paint on the inbound pass following a timeout but was fouled. She made two free throws to cut the lead back to one point. The Lady Eagles got two shots off in the final four second but could not get one to fall.
The two threes from Navarro and DuBose came back-to-back and gave Georgia Southern its largest lead of the first half, 8-4, with 13:13 to play. The Lady Eagles went scoreless over the next four minutes of play before Frye drained a layup with 9:31 remaining in the first half.
Georgia Southern continues its two-game road trip Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest in Greenville, S.C. against Furman. The Lady Eagles return home Monday to face the Wofford Terriers at 7 p.m.
Furman 80, Wofford 44
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Kendra Berry scored 17 points to propel Furman to an 80-44 thrashing of Wofford in women's Southern Conference basketball action Wednesday evening at Timmons Arena.
The victory snapped a seven-game losing skid for the Paladins (7-10, 3-5 SoCon), who played their first home game since defeating SoCon frontrunner Appalachian State on Dec. 18. The triumph also kept Furman perfect at home this season (6-0) and improved the Paladins to 19-0 versus Wofford (6-10, 2-5 SoCon) in Greenville.
Furman's seven victories this year under first year head coach Jackie Carson matches last year's win total (7-24) with a minimum of 13 games remaining on the season schedule.
Berry scored 13 of her game high 17 points in the first half, helping the Paladins race to a 42-22 lead at intermission. The senior forward from Albany, Ga., connected on 8-of-11 shots and also contributed a team high seven rebounds.
Kaitlin Murphy finished 16 points, and Kellly O'Connor rounded out Furman's double figure scoring effort with 14 points.
Mahagony Williams led Wofford with 14 points and a game high nine rebounds.
The Paladins used pressure defense to take control of the contest from the start, harrying the Terriers into 15 first half turnovers on the way to 28 misucues for the game.
Furman backed up its aggressive defense with solid shooting, canning 29-of-60 shots from the field (48.3 percent) while limiting Wofford to just 33.3 percent shooting (18-of-54).
The Paladins also claimed a 43-38 advantage on the boards.
Eleven of Furman's 12 players scored in the game as Carson emptied her bench over the game's final 10 minutes.
The Paladins play Georgia Southern in Timmons Arena this Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. game.
Appalachian State 83, Davidson 66
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Sam Ramirez led five Mountaineers in double figures with 24 points and Appalachian State used a 21-6 run in the first half to put away Davidson in taking an 83-66 decision on Wednesday evening in Southern Conference women's basketball action at John M. Belk Arena.
Davidson fell to 6-10 overall and 2-6 in league play, while Appalachian State won its seventh contest in the last eight, improving to 13-4 overall and remaining in first in the SoCon with a 7-2 mark.
Ramirez hit 9-of-12 shots, including 6-of-8 from behind the arc, for her 24 points. ASU as a team hit 10 three-pointers, with Ashlen Dewart hitting three on her way to 17 points. Also reaching the double-digit mark was Chakeitha Weldon (11), Anna Freeman (10) and Canesha Edwards (10).
For the second game in a row the Wildcats put four in the books in double figures led by Sophia Aleksandravicius and Shneeka Center with 19 points apiece. It was a season-high for Center, who was 7-of-17 from the field and 3-for-8 from behind the three-line. She also matched a season-best with nine boards.
Aleksandravicius had her eighth straight game scoring in double figures and added five boards to go along with a pair of blocks and steals.
Kristen Johnsen and Laura Murray poured in 12 and 11 points, respectively, to round out the four double figure scorers for Davidson. Johnsen added a game-high 10 boards for her third double-double of the season, while Murray matched her season-high with five assists.
Davidson as a team dished out 17 assists and have collected 33 in the last two games.
Johnsen gave the 'Cats an early 11-8 cushion on a jumper with 15:47, but Appalachian State used a 13-0 run to take a 21-11 advantage.
Five straight points by Center got Davidson to within three, 21-18, a few minutes later, but Ramirez and ASU took control by closing the half on a 21-6 run for a 42-24 halftime lead. Ramirez scored all 13 of her first-half points in the last six-and-half minutes of the period.
Despite scoring 42 second-half points, Davidson was never able to get the Mountaineer lead below 15 as it dropped its fourth straight game to ASU in the all-time series.
Appalachian State shot 58.6 percent in the second half and 49.3 percent for the game. It countered Davidson's 42-point output in the second period with 41 of its own. The Mountaineers also took advantage of 26 Wildcat turnovers, turning them into 25 points.
Davidson on the other hand forced ASU into 21 turnovers and got 24 points off them. The Wildcats also pocketed 11 steals, the ninth time they have picked up 10-plus steals in a game.
Davidson will next play at Wofford this Saturday, Jan. 22, for 6 p.m. contest. Continuing with its stay on the road, the Black and Gold head to Greensboro, N.C. to battle UNCG, Saturday, January 22. The contest between the Mountaineers and Spartans is set to tip off at 2 p.m. from UNCG's Fleming Gym.
Elon 63, UNCG 61
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Ali Ford envisioned her first-ever buzzer-beater would be a three-pointer as the clock ran to zero and the crowd went wild. Tonight, Ford settled for a layup off the backboard through a UNC Greensboro defender for her first-career walk-off shot, allowing the Elon University women's basketball team to walk out of Fleming Gym a 63-61 winner on Wednesday night in front of a raucous crowd in Greensboro.
Elon inbounded the ball with 6.5 seconds remaining following a UNCG turnover, and after Ford couldn't get an open look to get teammate Aiesha Harper the ball, the Morganton, N.C. native drove to the rim, flipped the ball up and proved to be the hero on Wednesday night as the ball landed in the basket as the buzzer sounded.
The victory for Elon is its seventh straight in Southern Conference play and improves the team's record to 12-5 overall this season and 7-2 in league play. UNCG drops to 9-8 (6-3 SoCon) with the setback.
Prior to Ford's game-winner, Lei Lei Hairston hit the game's most important shot with 31 seconds left following a Phoenix timeout, as Hairston connected on Elon's only three pointer of the contest to knot it at 61-all.
The Phoenix defense forced a pair of key turnovers in the two minutes to help the team secure the victory and remain atop the SoCon standings.
Ford played limited minutes in the victory due to foul trouble and finished with nine points, but Harper came off the bench and provided the spark the Phoenix needed in her absence. Harper scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field in 29 minutes of action, while also dishing out three assists and recording two steals.
Hairston finished with a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field to go along with seven boards and three blocks, while Kelsey Evans tallied a game-high 11 boards and five blocks in the win. Evans has recorded five blocks in a game three times this season, as the Phoenix sent back 11 shots by the Spartans on the night to put its season total at 104.
Shon Redmond was the third Phoenix player in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field.
With Ford in foul trouble early and playing just four minutes in the first half, Harper came off the bench and helped limit UNCG to a one-point lead at the half. Harper scored a game-high 10 points in the opening frame on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and sunk two free throws.
Elon shot 52.0 percent from the field in the first half and out-rebounded UNCG, 23-18. But turnovers proved to be the difference, as the Spartans committed only four compared to Elon's 11 first half turnovers.
After Ford split a pair of free throws just 13 seconds into the second half, the Spartans answered with a 6-0 run to put the Phoenix down, 36-30, forcing Barefoot to regroup her squad and call a timeout with 17:17 remaining.
The Spartans took a 10-point advantage with 13:04 to play in the game after Brey Dorsett hit a baseline jumper to put the Phoenix down, 44-34.
UNC Greensboro forced another Elon timeout with 8:28 remaining in the game after a Sarah Folwell layup following a Phoenix turnover made it a 53-43 game.
Redmond helped the Phoenix claw back in the game and force a UNCG timeout with 7:19 to play after back-to-back baskets limited the Spartans to a 53-47 lead. Elon pulled within five points with under six minutes to play after an offensive board by Hairston following an Elon missed free throw made it a 56-51 game.
Ford helped make it a two-point game with 2:28 left on the clock after connecting on a jumper to limit the Spartans to a 58-56 lead.
The Phoenix's defense proved to make the difference down the stretch, as Elon forced two key UNCG turnovers in the final 2:01 to get the possessions it needed in crunch time to overcome an 11-point deficit - the largest the team has overcome in any victory this season.
Elon returns home on Saturday, Jan. 22, when it hosts College of Charleston at 2 p.m. inside Alumni Gym.
Samford 61, Chattanooga 49
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford senior forward Savannah Hill scored 19 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out five assists in the Bulldog women's basketball team's 61-49 Southern Conference win over Chattanooga Wednesday evening in the Pete Hanna Center.
Samford shot 45.3 percent as a team, including a 45.5-percent effort from three-point range. The Bulldogs held Chattanooga to 32.3 percent overall and just 14.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Behind Hill for Samford, senior guard Emily London had 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Sophomore guard Hannah Dawson scored 10 points, while junior guard Ruth Ketcham added eight points for the Bulldogs.
For Chattanooga, Whitney Hood led the way with 14 points and six rebounds. Kayla Christopher had 14 points and seven assists for the Lady Mocs.
The teams traded baskets early in the first half until, with Samford leading, 7-5, the Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run to take a 14-7 lead with 9:53 to go in the first half after a layup by Jazmine Powers. Chattanooga fought back to cut the Samford lead to three at 14-11 with 8:16 to go in the first half.
Samford then went on a 15-4 run to take a 29-15 lead with 4:55 to go in the opening half after a three-pointer by Powers. The Lady Mocs then went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to six at 29-23 with 1:26 to go before halftime. A late layup by London gave Samford a 31-23 lead heading into halftime.
Samford pushed its lead out to 14 early in the second half at 41-27 with 17:42 to go in the game after a three-pointer by Hill. Chattanooga scored the next four points to cut the lead to 10 points at 41-31 with 16:34 left in the contest.
Samford then went on an 8-2 run to push its lead out to 16 points at 49-33 with 8:59 left in the game after a layup by Hill. Chattanooga fought back to cut the lead to nine at 51-42 with 3:24 to go, but the Lady Mocs could get no closer as Samford came away with the 12-point win, 61-49.
With the win, Samford improves to 13-6 overall and 6-4 in SoCon play. Chattanooga drops to 8-11 overall and 5-5 in league play.
Samford will return to action on Monday, Jan. 24, when the Bulldogs play host to Western Carolina. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.