Appalachian State 64, Georgia Southern 45
BOONE, N.C. –Anna Freeman had her third 20-point performance of the season as Appalachian State women's basketball took down Georgia Southern, 64-45, in the 2011-12 Southern Conference opener on Thursday at the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0) never trailed the Lady Eagles (2-5, 0-1) after racing out to a 9-1 lead en route to their first win over Georgia Southern since the 2008-09 season.
Appalachian State took its first double-digit lead (18-8) on Freeman's layup with 11:21 to go in the first half and led by as many as 14 points (22-8) before Georgia Southern scored six-straight to make it 22-14.
A three-pointer from Katie Mallow gave the Apps a 25-14 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half and the Mountaineers would never lead by less then 10 points the rest of the way.
ASU shot 40.0 percent (12-for-30) in the first half including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Freeman scored 15 of her game-high 25 points in the first 20 minutes and was 3-for-3 from long range.
Appalachian State kept its foot on the gas in the second half, stretching its lead to 50-28 on Michelle Taylor's fast-break layup with 10:32 to go in the game.
The Lady Eagles would get as close as 15 points on three occasions in the final six minutes, but could not overcome a stifling Mountaineer defense.
In addition to her game-high in points, Freeman also finished with a game-high eight rebounds, five steals, three blocks and two assists.
Courtney Freeman poured in 13 points and grabbed three boards while Mallow added 12 points, two rebounds and a steal.
Georgia Southern, which did not have a player score in double-figures, was paced by Aishya Wofford's eight points. Samantha Williams led the Lady Eagles with six rebounds.
As a team, Appalachian State shot 39.7 percent (23-for-58) from the floor, 66.7 percent (6-for-9) from three-point range and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the charity stripe.
The Lady Eagles were held to just 31.3 percent (23-for-58) from the floor and were just 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The Mountaineers finished with a 39-34 edge in rebounds, forced 24 turnovers and dished out 14 assists while turning the ball over just 17 times.
Appalachian State returns to action on Monday when it travels to Western Carolina for a 7 p.m. contest against the Catamounts.
Chattanooga 63, UNCG 46
GREENSBORO, N.C. --- After trailing 20-5 less than six minutes into the game, the Lady Mocs, led by senior Whitney Hood's (Meridian, Miss.) game-high 19 points, went on to outscore UNCG 58-26 over the remainder of the game for a 63-46 win over the Spartans in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
The Lady Mocs even their record at 3-3 and are 1-0 in league play. UNC drops to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in SoCon action.
UNCG started the game shooting 9-of-11 while the Lady Mocs were 2-of-7 from the field and had four turnovers to get out to its largest lead of the game, 20-5 at the 14:22 mark. However, the Spartans would miss their next nine attempts and turn the ball over twice, while still maintaining a 20-10 lead over the next five minutes.
Chattanooga, behind Hood and junior Kayla Christopher (Oliver Springs, Tenn.), would pull to within two points and trail UNCG 24-22 at intermission.
In the second half, the Lady Mocs picked up where they left off in the first. Sophomore Taylor Hall (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) drained a 3-pointer and junior Kylie Lambert (Etowah, Tenn.) followed it up with a jumper to tie the game for the first time since the 19:02 mark of the first half at 28-28 with 18:17 to play. She was fouled on the play and converted the 3-point play to give Chattanooga its first lead of the game and the Lady Mocs would not trail again.
Chattanooga built its lead to 41-33 with 12:23 to play, but the Spartans cut it in half less than two minutes later to trail UTC 41-37 with 10:35 to play.
From there it would be all Chattanooga as the Lady Mocs outpaced UNCG 22-9 over the final 8:52 of the game and claim the win in the SoCon opener.
Hood led all scorers with her season-high 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Christopher had 17 points and five rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, and six assists while sophomore Alex Black (Memphis, Tenn.), starting the second half at point, had a season-high 10 points with two steals. Hall pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds with six points and Lambert had seven points and 11 rebounds.
Chattanooga will close out a three-week road odyssey Saturday evening at Elon with a 7 p.m. start. Larry Ward, the "Voice of the Lady Mocs" will have the call live on ESPN 105.1 FM. Check GoMocs.com, the official website of Chattanooga athletics, for complete information.
Davidson 80, Winthrop 65
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Three Wildcats came off the bench to score in double digits, led by Shneeka Center’s team-best 14 points, and the bench in all scored 42 points in helping Davidson roll to an 80-65 home win over Big South-foe Winthrop in women’s basketball action on Thursday evening in John M. Belk Arena.
Center was joined in the double-digit column by Jasmine Calin with 12 points and Amanda Ottaway chipped in 11 points and five rebounds. Katrin Chiemeka rounded out the double-figure scorers for Davidson with 11 points, hitting a pair of three-balls.
Center and Calin played a key role in helping the Wildcats (3-4) overcome a 10-2 deficit to start the game. The duo combined to score 13 points during a 19-4 run in the first half that gave Davidson a 21-14 lead it would never relinquish.
The ‘Cats led by as many as 21 points in the second half in picking up their seventh win in their last eight home contests dating back to last Jan. 31.
Winthrop’s (2-5) Dequesha McClanahan had a game-high 21 points, while Samiya Wright (15) and Diana Choibekova (14) also scored in double figures. The Eagles were held to 33.3 percent shooting and coughed the ball up 23 times, resulting in 23 Wildcat points.
Davidson’s two leading scorers, Sophia Aleksandravicius (8 points/8 rebounds) and Laura Murray (4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), had quiet nights as the Eagles’ defense keyed in on the pair, but Davidson’s bench stepped up to the challenge.
In addition to getting a season-high 42 points from its bench, the Wildcats also used their height advantage, scoring 46 points in the paint to tie a team season-high this year.
After Winthrop closed to within 26-25, the ‘Cats used a quick 7-0 run and went into halftime up 33-28.
The second half saw Davidson maintain a seven-point lead until the 15:01 mark when the Eagles closed to within 41-36. Center then sparked a 22-6 run over the next six minutes with seven points, including draining a three-ball, and Calin added four points with three coming on an and-one play to give the Wildcats a commanding 63-42 lead with 9:28 left.
Ottaway sealed the win by swishing home all four of her free throws in the final 38 ticks. She finished 7-for-9 from the line.
Davidson opens Southern Conference play next with a contest at Western Carolina this Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m.