Davidson 77, Clemson 57CLEMSON, S.C. – Laura Murray, Hannah Early and Shneeka Center combined to score 60 points, and Davidson used a length run in the second half to roll to a 77-57 season-opening win at Clemson Friday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum in women’s basketball.
It was the Wildcats’ first win over the Tigers in the series and their first season-opening victory since 2008-09 vs. Winthrop, all thanks to the trio of Murray, Early and Center.
Murray paced all scorers with a game-high 22 points, getting 12 of them at the charity stripe, which was a career-high.
Early had a career-best 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a career-high 5-for-5 from behind the three-line. She helped the Wildcats drill home 10-of-15 triples for the game. Early did her damage in the first half, scoring 13 points including the first seven of the game for Davidson.
Center caught fire in the second half, scoring 14 of her 18 total points in the half. She canned a career-high four triples, three of them coming during the Wildcats’ big run.
Dakota Dukes rounded out Davidson’s double-digit scorers with 11 points and just missed a double-double, hauling in nine rebounds.
Clemson’s Quinyotta Pettaway had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Tigers, while Chelsea Lindsay added 12 points.
After the Tigers erased Davidson’s 37-31 lead early in the second half, both teams went back-and-forth trading the lead.
Then tied at 45-all in the second half with 12:27 to go, Center sparked the game-changing run when she canned a three-pointer on the right wing. The scoring continued for the senior as she scored 11 of the next 12 Wildcat points and 14 overall in a 20-3 run, capped off by another trey from Center, as Davidson opened up a 64-48 lead with 5:38 remaining.
Murray put the game away by scoring 12 of Davidson’s final 15 points when it pushed the lead out to as many as 20 points.
Davidson shot 52.2 percent in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 46-29, while turning the ball over just six times. The ‘Cats’ defense held the Tigers without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes in the second half as Clemson mustered just three free throws during Davidson’s game-winning run.
Behind a pair of runs, the Wildcats grabbed a three-point lead (31-28) after the first half. Down 15-7 at the 11:10 mark, Davidson rattled off a 10-1 spurt in five minutes to take a 17-16 lead at the 6:03 mark to force Clemson into burning a timeout.
The Tigers responded, retaking the lead later at 24-17 on a Lindsay layup, but the Wildcats used their second big run of the half to grab the advantage at the break. Sparked by Early’s second triple of the half, the ‘Cats went on a 14-4 run in the final 3:30. The junior sharp-shooter canned her third three-pointer during the run and Alex Long capped it off with the Wildcats’ fifth three-ball of the half to make it 31-28 heading into the locker room.
Chattanooga 82, Alabama 70CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Taylor Hall led six players in double figures Friday night at the McKenzie Arena in front of 3,633, the 10th largest attendance in Chattanooga women’s basketball history. The crowd cheered UTC on to an 82-70 win over Alabama in the season opener for both teams and gave the Lady Mocs’ their 27th consecutive win at the Roundhouse.
Hall matched her career-high of 24 points set in last year’s season-opener against Tennessee. She was 9-of-19 from the field and drained all six of her free throw attempts. Senior Faith Dupree was 5-of-8 off the bench and recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Sophomore Alicia Payne smashed her career-high scoring 11 points and was 5-of-6 from the charity striped while draining of Chattanooga’s six 3-pointers early in the game.
Chattanooga never trailed in the game and would lead by as much as 26 points late in the first half. Alabama pulled to within one point, 12-11, at the 12:17 mark of the first half. Dupree hit a jumper with 11:42 to play in the first half, sparking a 14-4 run over the next 5:12 that was capped off by the first of two 3-pointers from Payne to make it 26-15 with 7:05 to go in the half.
The Lady Mocs continued to stymie the Alabama offense, allowing just six points over the remainder of the half and led 45-21 at intermission.
Chattanooga maintained its lead throughout most of the second half but the Tide rallied over the final 6:19 outscoring UTC 22-11 behind 10 points from Shafontaye Myers, more than half of her 19 points and Ashley Williams scored eight of her 10 points over the run as well.
Alabama outscored UTC 48-30 in the paint but the Lady Mocs held a 17-12 advantage off turnovers, forcing the Tide into 11 and had 14 second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. Chattanooga’s bench put up 24 points compared to Alabama’s 12.
Junior Ka’Vonne Towns had 10 points and seven rebounds along with three assists and two steals while senior Meghan Downes and sophomore Tatianna Jackson each put in 10 points and snared three boards.
Chattanooga was 29-of-60 (52.9%) from the field and 18-of-22 (81.8%) from the free throw line while Alabama went 30-of-64 from the field and shot 70% (7-of-10) from the charity stripe. UTC made 6-of-10 3-pointers in the first half as it pulled away from the Tide, but were 0-of-3 in the second half.
The last time six Chattanooga players scored in double figures was in January 2000 against Appalachian State.
Mercer 67, Western Carolina 64MACON, Ga. – Senior guard Hana Haden came off the bench to score a career-high, and game leading, 18 points in Western Carolina women’s basketball’s (0-1) 67-64 loss at Mercer (1-0) Friday in Hawkins Arena.
Western Carolina trailed by 11 twice in the second half with the last time 5:09 remaining in the contest with Mercer leading 58-47. The Catamounts never gave up. In fact, WCU went on a 10-to-1 run, cutting the Mercer lead to two, 59-57 with 1:59 left.
Western Carolina’s run, to cut Mercer’s lead, was aided by Haden’s three-pointer, Western Carolina’s first trey of the contest. Mercer’s Precious Bridges, who led the Bears with 17 points, halted the Catamount run with its first bucket since the 5:09 mark.
Mercer looked to have the game in hand with 23 seconds remaining but Western Carolina would make the game a pulse pounder in the waning seconds. Trailing 66-61, sophomore guard Lindsay Simpson sank a three-pointer, just the second three-pointer of the game for the Catamounts, slicing the Bear advantage to 66-64 with 19 seconds left in the game.
Western Carolina fouled Bridges to stop the clock and she hit 1-of-2 free throws missing the front end of the two with 16 seconds left. The Catamounts had one shot to tie the game, with the Bears leading 67-64. Simpson, a prolific three-pointer shooter, attempted a shot but the ball was stolen from her and Mercer ran out the clock to end the game.
It was fairly even game in the first half. The contest was tied six times with the last when the teams were knotted at 18. Kendra Grant’s pair of free throws, at 4:25 left in the first half, tied the game and then gave the Bears the lead. Mercer would never trail in the game again.
With Mercer leading by eight, 26-18, with 2:34 on the clock in the first half, WCU scored eight unanswered points to trail 26-24 at the half. Senior forward Shauna Terry scored six of the eight unanswered points and Simpson ended the scoring for the Catamounts with a lay-up with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
Three Catamount players scored in double figures for Western Carolina paced by Haden’s 18. Simpson added 15 and sophomore forward Erika Joseph had 11. Terry led the team with nine rebounds.
Western Carolina scored 32 points in the paint and got 38 points from the bench, with 18 of those coming from Haden. Mercer was aided by 27 trips to the free throw line and connecting on 20 and also ripped down 51 rebounds, 37 on the defensive end, to Western Carolina’s 44.
Elon 73, Winston-Salem State 68ELON, N.C. – The Elon women’s basketball team (1-0) opened its 2013-14 campaign with a 73-68 win over Winston-Salem State (0-1) tonight, Nov. 8, in Alumni Gym. Kelsey Harris matched her career high of 18 points, while Sam Coffer turned in a double-double performance with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Elon went 21-of-48 from the field to shoot almost 44 percent, including 42 percent from beyond the arc. The Phoenix was sent to the line 33 times, converting 26 shots for a 78 percent clip. The Rams also shot over 40 percent (42.6) and went 8-for-22 from three-point land. The maroon and gold won the tight battle on the boards, 35-32.
Harris went 12-of-15 from the free throw line to set a new career-high for free throws made and dished out seven assists. Coffer’s 14 boards is also a new career high for the junior. Rookie Lauren Brown contributed 10 points after going 4-for-8 from the field.
In the first half, the Rams grabbed a 21-15 lead with 10:34 to play. The Phoenix would whittle away at WSSU’s advantage with layups by Shannen Cochraham and Coffer and close the gap to two, 21-19. Free throws by Harris would regain the lead for the maroon and gold with 7:35 left on the clock.
Back-to-back fast-break layups by Brown put Elon up by five, 26-21, with just over 5:33 remaining and capped 11 straight points for the Phoenix. With 22 ticks on the clock, a three by Zora Stephenson gave the maroon and gold its largest lead of the half, 34-24. The Phoenix went into the locker room up by eight, 34-26, after a 19-5 run that spanned just under 10 minutes.
Elon shot 39 percent from the field in the first half, with 14 points coming in the paint, and 86 percent from the charity stripe. The Phoenix held the Rams to a 28 percent shooting mark after the first 20.
WSSU came out of the break with the momentum and managed to take the lead, 45-44, at the 12:29 mark. A jumper by Lenaira Ruffin followed by a three by Stephenson put the Phoenix back up by six, 53-47, with under nine minutes to play.
The Rams were able to make shots from beyond the arc and pull within three several times but Elon continued to answer. WSSU became frustrated and committed 10 fouls in the final six minutes, sending Elon to the line. The Phoenix scored 13 of its last 15 points off free throws.
Freebies by Harris put the maroon and gold up by nine, 68-59, with just over a minute to play. The Rams made four baskets in the final minute but Elon was able to preserve a five-point victory.
Vanderbilt 96, Appalachian State 53NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Appalachian State University women's basketball opened up the 2013-14 campaign at Vanderbilt on Friday night, dropping the game 96-53 at Memorial Gym.
Maryah Sydnor led all players in scoring with 24 on the night, but it would not be enough for the Apps as the Commodores dominated both halves.
The Commodores scored the first three points of the game and never looked back, outscoring the Mountaineers 51-26 in the first half.
The Mountaineers would stay within three points until there was 11 minutes left in the first half when Vanderbilt would go on a 10-2 run to lead 26-14. From there the Commodores would charge ahead, scoring 20 points in the paint to Appalachian's eight and lead by 25 points at halftime.
Vanderbilt shot an impressive 53.1 percent (17-32) in the first half as freshman Rebekah Dahlman led the way with 14 first-half points.
Sydnor led the Mountaineers with 14 first-half points, but the Apps shot just 30 percent (9-30) from the floor in the first half of the game.
The Commodores would come out on fire in the second half, scoring the first nine points, six of them from Dahlman. From there, Vanderbilt would go on an 11-4 run to make the score 71-30 with 12 minutes to play.
Appalachian would come no closer as the Commodores continued their pace, making the final score of the game 96-53.
Sydnor finished the game with a double-double, tallying a game-high 24 points 12 rebounds. Bria Huffman would follow, scoring 10 points and bringing down five boards.
Bria Carter recorded six points in her collegiate debut, while pulling down four rebounds for the Mountaineers, while KeKe Cooper notched five rebounds.
The Commodores were paced by Dahlman's 23 points, netting six for seven from three-point range. Jasmine Jenkins followed, tallying 19 points and six assists on the night. Marqu'es Webb (13), Christina Foggie (10) and Jasmine Lister (10) all hit double figures for Vanderbilt.
The Mountaineers grabbed 37 rebounds to Vanderbilt's 36, while The Commodores turned the ball over 19 times and forced 26 turnovers for the Apps.
App State shot just 29.7 percent (19-64) on the game, while Vanderbilt hit 57.1 percent (32-56) from the floor.
Florida State 93, UNCG 59
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A 22-0 run spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second stanza allowed Florida State to pull away from the UNCG women’s basketball team and record a 93-59 victory in the season opener for both teams Friday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Spartans were able to put up 67 shots but only 20 fell through as UNCG finished the game shooting 29.9 percent from the floor. Conversely, the Seminoles knocked down 41 of their 70 attempts, many of them from down low to finish at 58.6 percent. FSU out-rebounded the Blue and Gold 48-34, but UNCG won the offensive rebounding battle 19-18 – resulting in 17 Spartan second-chance points.
Both squads had trouble holding onto the ball, combining for 42 turnovers in the early season battle. The Spartans did shine at the free throw line, draining 14 of 18 attempts (77.8 percent) led by freshmen forward Jade Scaife’s 6-for-6 performance and freshman guard Shanese Harris’ 5-for-6 showing.
Senior forward Janae’ Stevenson paced the offensive attack with 12 points while freshman center Mariah Wilson pulled down a team-best six rebounds including three offensive boards. Freshman guard Bailey Williams dished out a squad-high three assists in her collegiate debut.
Brittany Brown gave Florida State a 2-0 lead with a layup to begin the game before Patterson responded with a three-point field goal to put the Spartans on top. The Seminoles would take control from there as a layup by Lauren Coleman capped a 12-2 run and afforded FSU a 14-5 advantage with 16:08 on the clock.
Patterson kept UNCG within striking range with 10:53 remaining before halftime as she hit a jumper and drained her second trey of the contest to make the score 23-17. The Blue and Gold hung tough with Florida State down the stretch and drew within 32-26 at the 4:11 mark when junior guard Jarae Savage knocked down a free throw. However, that would be the last points UNCG would score in the half as the Spartans became careless with the ball and allowed the Seminoles to net the final 16 points of the stanza – leaving the margin at 48-26 going into the break.
Senior guard Breonna Patterson and Stevenson paced the UNCG offense with eight points apiece in the first 20 minutes while Stevenson racked up a team-best three rebounds and two steals. Florida State shot 60 percent in the half, knocking down 21 of 35 attempts from the floor, and limited the Spartans to just 31 percent (10-for-32). FSU also won the rebounding battle 24-16 and scored 22 points off of 13 UNCG turnovers. The Seminoles owned the paint, netting 34 of their 48 points down low.
Florida State scored the first six points of the second half to complete a 22-0 run which spanned almost eight minutes and take a 54-26 lead. Stevenson popped in the first two UNCG points at the 17:16 mark on a layup to make the score 54-28 before two free throws by sophomore guard Lucy Mason (Stone Mountain, Ga./Chamblee Charter) pulled the Spartans to within 58-32.
The Seminoles were able to salt the game away down the stretch, as a tip in by Savage made the score 73-43 with 8:05 left and marked the closest the Spartans would come the rest of the way.