Chattanooga 55, Morgan State 40

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team used a 17-0 run in the second half to pull away from Morgan State and grabbed a 55-40 win on Day One of the Chattanooga Christmas Classic.

The Mocs improve to 8-3 overall and will host North Carolina A&T Sunday afternoon while Morgan State drops to 2-9 on the year and will take on Tennessee Tech in the early game.

Chattanooga led from start to finish but the Bears managed to cut the score to 34-30 on a layup from Simone Sampson with 14:40 to play. However, that would be all the points they could muster over the next 10 minutes as the Mocs put together a 17-0 scoring run to put the game away and secure its largest lead of the game, 51-30, with 4:47 to play. Morgan State went 0-for-15 in the stretch and turned the ball over four times.

Freshman Keiana Gilbert led all scorers with 19 points with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore Jasmine Joyner recorded her third double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. She added seven blocked shots, the most by a Chattanooga player in the McKenzie Arena and moved to second place on the Mocs’ all-time charts with 101 for her career. She was 5-of-7 from the field and drained her first-ever 3-pointer.

The Mocs were just 8-of-23 from the field in the first half, but saw improvement in the second making 11-of-23 (47.8%) to shoot 41.3 percent for the game. From beyond the arc, Chattanooga made just four of its 20 attempts with three falling in the second half and were 13-of-20 from the charity stripe.

Morgan State was led in scoring by Braennan Farrar and Zuri White with seven points each marking the second straight game the Mocs have not allowed an opposing player to reach double figures. White had six rebounds and Danielle Robinson grabbed seven while Simone Sampson contributed six points off the bench.

The Bears shot just 25 percent for the game making 15-of-60 shots while sinking just one 3-pointer. UTC was outrebounded again with Morgan State gaining a 40-38 advantage on the glass including 18 on the offensive end.

The Mocs outscored Morgan State 30-22 in the paint and had 16 points off 16 turnovers while the Bears had just eight on 18 UTC miscues. MSU put had 12 second chance points compared to the Mocs nine and scored 17 bench points while UTC’s Moses Johnson and Ansley Chilton combined for nine.

Morgan State returned to scoring with a jumper from Sampson with 4:36 to play and outscore UTC 10-4 in the final minutes.

The first game Sunday will start at Noon followed by the Mocs vs. the Aggies at approximately 2 p.m.

 

Western Carolina 83, FIU 69

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Western Carolina women's basketball drained a new school record 13 three pointers, pacing the Catamounts to an 83-69 victory over Florida International Saturday, in day one of the Hampton Inn Oceanfront Holiday Tournament hosted by North Florida at UNF Arena.

The Catamounts improve to 7-4 on the year scoring a season-high 83 points. FIU falls to 1-7.

Senior guard Justin Taylor, from Gastonia, N.C., led all scorers with 23 points. She was one of three Western Carolina players to score in double figures.

Junior guard Lindsay Simpson added 16 points. The Franklin, N.C. native's three-pointer at 9:21 left in the game initially broke the WCU single-game record, of 11 three pointers, when her trey gave WCU 12 in the game.

Senior Makensey Campbell tied her season-high with 14 points nailing four three pointers - just one shy of tying her single-game best.

FIU came out strong early building a 9-4 lead in the first two minute - then the three pointers started falling for Western Carolina. Campbell drained back-to-back three pointers to give WCU a 12-11 advantage and the Catamounts never looked back.

The Catamounts hit eight of its 13 three pointers in the first half hitting 61.5 percent from behind the three-point arch in the first 20 minutes. The long range shooting allowed WCU to build its largest lead of the first half, 34-20, with 8:14 left.

FIU went on a mini run in the final eight minutes and trailed by just five, 40-35, with 1:13 remaining. Western Carolina forward Brianne Mack hit a lay-up with 48 seconds left to put WCU up 42-37 at the half.

FIU kept the game in single digits for the first four minutes of the second half trailing 46-40 with 16:28 left. Taylor answered with a lay-up and a Simpson hit a three pointers to push the WCU lead to double figures, 54-43.

FIU would cut it to single digits one more time in the game, off a lay-up by Kiander'a Pounder, but Taylor was there again with a lay-up. The Golden Panthers would never trail by single digits again.

The Catamounts built its largest lead of the game, 24 points, off a lay-up by Simpson to make it 79-55 with 5:13 left.

For the second straight game Western Carolina shot above 50 percent from the field with 53.4 percent against FIU. The Catamounts were 13-of-22 from behind the three-point arch shooting a season-best 59.1 percent.

FIU won the battle of the boards ripping down 47 to Western Carolina's 30. Western Carolina only had six offensive rebounds but shooting 54 percent from the field it didn't need that many on the offensive end.

The Catamounts also enjoyed 30 points from inside the paint and got 25 points from its bench.

FIU was led by Marita Davydova and Taylor Shade each with 20 points.

Western Carolina will play host North Florida at 3:30 p.m. Sunday to close out the tournament.

 

UNCG 81, Livingstone 77

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Led by a career-high 20 points from sophomore Shanese Harris, the UNCG women’s basketball team defeated Livingstone, 81-77, in overtime Saturday afternoon at Fleming Gymnasium.

The Spartans improve to 5-7 on the season and Livingstone remains undefeated at 9-0 as this contest was an exhibition for the Division II college.

The Blue and Gold outscored the Lady Blue Bears 9-5 in overtime to come away with the victory. Senior forward Jarae Savage hit a jumper to start the extra period and Harris made a layup off a steal to put UNCG up 76-72 with 4:24 left.

Livingstone answered with a three-pointer from Labrea Walker to cut the lead to 76-75 with four minutes left in overtime. Junior guard Lucy Mason hit two free throws and a key jumper with just a minute left to seal the win. After a missed three-pointer from Livingstone, sophomore India Timpton made a free throw to make the final score 81-77.

Four UNCG players were in double figures with Harris leading the way with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and three steals in 39 minutes. Savage fell short of her third-straight double-double posting 18 points (8-of-13) with five rebounds and a career-high seven steals.

Sophomores Bailey Williams and Jade Scaife scored 14 points and 10 points, respectively.

The Blue and Gold shot 46 percent for the game on 29-of-63 from the field and was a solid 19-for-26 from the free throw line. The Spartans defense forced 27 turnovers for Livingstone and UNCG had a season-high 17 steals in the contest.

Former Division I player for Georgia State, Kyra Crosby had a double-double for Livingstone with 20 points and 15 rebounds but the Spartans limited Crosby to just four points in the second half and overtime.

In the first half, the Spartans led by 15 points but Livingstone trimmed the lead to only four points at 42-38 heading into intermission. Harris led UNCG with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting with two rebounds. Williams and Scaife each scored eight points.

The Blue and Gold opened the game with a 9-4 lead after a jumper from Savage at the 16:08 mark. The Spartans would go on a 10-6 run to push their lead to 19-10 with 12:09 left in the half.

UNCG would hold its largest lead at 15 points after two free throws from Savage to make the score 28-13 with under 10 minutes left. Livingstone went on a 15-4 spurt to cut the lead to four with under five minutes left in the half.

The Spartans led 42-36 after two free throws from Harris with a minute left but Livingstone received a jumper from Alexis Hicks to make it 42-38 at the break.
The Lady Blue Bears came out firing to start the second half taking a 45-42 lead off a 7-0 run with 16:50 on the clock. UNCG would respond with back-to-back buckets from Harris to make the score 46-45 with just under 15 minutes left in the game.

Each team would re-take the lead but the Spartans took a five point lead after a jumper from Savage to make the score 58-53 with 11:57 remaining. A layup from Mason pushed UNCG’s lead to six points with 8:34 left in the second half.

Livingstone got back into the game after four-straight made free throws to cut the Spartans’ lead to 63-61 with under eight minutes left.

With 2:26 on the clock, Harris would hit one of two from the free throw line to make the score 72-70. After a couple of missed jumpers from each team, the Lady Blue Bears tied the game with 35 seconds left on a jumper from Precious Roberts. The game would go to overtime after Harris missed a shot with nine seconds remaining.

The Blue and Gold will take part in the University of Miami Holiday tournament in Miami, Fla. starting with SEC powerhouse LSU Sunday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m.

 

No. 17 Georgia 58, Furman 51

ATHENS, Ga. - Krista Donald’s layup with four minutes remaining broke a tie game and sparked a 7-0 finish by 17th-ranked Georgia that subdued a game Furman squad, 58-51, in women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Furman’s Whitney Bunn tied the game at 51-51 with 4:49 to go, but the Paladins failed to score the rest of the way, missing three shots and suffering four turnovers against the Bulldogs’ intense halfcourt defensive pressure.

After Donal’s layup put Georgia up 53-51, Shacobia Barbee drained a 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark to stretch the lead to 56-51. The Bulldogs tallied the game’s final two points on a pair of Majorie Butler free throws with 29 seconds remaining.

The loss halts a five-game winning streak by Furman (9-4) while Georgia, which had been idle since beating Michigan State, 69-60, on Dec. 7, remains unbeaten (11-0) on the campaign.

Sarah Durdaller paced the Paladins with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Barbee claimed game high scoring honors for the Bulldogs with 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Merritt Hempe scored 14 points and claimed 11 caroms.

The game was close from start to finish and featured 12 lead changes. Georgia posted a 25-11 rebounding advantage over the game’s final 20 minutes and finished with a 27-6 differential on the offensive glass, helping the Bulldogs to a 19-5 scoring advantage on second chance points.

Georgia led 24-21 at intermission but Furman battled back to tie the game at 35-35 on a Kelsey Ellis 3-pointer. Following a Bulldog turnover the Paladins claimed a 37-35 lead, their first of the second half, on a Durdaller jump shot at the 12:33 mark.

A Holli Wilkins basket at the 9:37 juncture put the Paladins up 41-40, and Allison Beasley gave Furman a 46-45 lead two minutes later.

Georgia used a 6-0 spurt out of timeout to grab a 51-46 advantage following at Barbee layup with 6:10 to go, but Furman responded with a Durdaller 3-point play and Bunn layup to knot the game for the final time at 51-51.

The Paladins were bothered by Georgia’s full-court pressure in the first half, suffering 14 of their 22 turnovers in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Furman’s zone defense, meanwhile, frustrated Georgia, limiting the Bulldogs to just 31.0 percent shooting from the field (22x71), including just 11-of-34 (32.4 percent) in the second half.

The combination of Furman turnovers and offensive rebounding by Georgia gave the Bulldogs a 27-shot advantage as the Paladins made 19-of-44 field goal attempts (43.2 percent).

The Paladins play next on Dec. 29 when they play at Elon in a 7:00 p.m. game.

 

Jacksonville State 57, ETSU 56

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Freshman point guard Tianna Tarter scored a game and season-high 26 points in a closely-contested 57-56 loss to Jacksonville State on Saturday afternoon inside Trask Coliseum in ETSU’s final game in the 2014 UNCW Seahawks Hampton Inn Christmas Invitational.

After being out in front since the 17 minute mark of the first half, a jumper from JSU’s Miranda Cantrell with 4:43 left to play in the contest put the Bucs behind, 50-49. The Gamecocks increased their lead to four with 3:41 to go before ETSU cut its deficit to two, 53-51, on a Cara Bowling jumper with 1:27 remaining. Missed conversion by both teams on offense over the next minute forced the Blue & Gold to send JSU to the free throw line down the stretch where it unfortunately converted. With the game virtually decided after a pair of Gamecock free throws, Tarter knocked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to bring the final score to 57-56.

With the loss, ETSU drops to 7-6 on the season while Jacksonville State improves to 8-3 on the year.

To begin the game, the Bucs jumped out in front by capitalizing on Jacksonville State turnovers to lead, 13-6, with 13:56 left in the first half. Over the next two minutes, JSU countered to get within two, 15-13, but ETSU responded to maintain hold on the lead. After starting the game hot from the field, the Bucs cooled down a bit but were able to hold the Gamecocks scoreless for nearly eight minutes to maintain their advantage. A lay-in from freshman guard Malloree Schurr pushed the Blue & Gold’s lead to a first half-high eight points, 26-18, with one minute to go before Cantrell answered with a basket for JSU to make the score 26-20 going into halftime.

Following shooting a sub-par 32 percent from the floor in the opening period, ETSU began to convert at a better rate to begin the second half due in large part to Tarter taking over on the offensive end. After scoring seven points in the first half, the rookie splashed a pair of three-pointers between the 15:26 and 13:54 marks and, in total, scored 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the second. With 7:10 remaining in the contest, a Tarter lay-in upped ETSU’s lead to seven, 49-42, but JSU responded with an 8-0 run to take its first lead since the 17:21 mark of the first half and held on over the duration.

The Gamecocks had three players in double figures; led by 13 points from Briana Benson. For the Bucs, Tarter’s 26-point offensive explosion ties for the largest this season by an ETSU player; matching senior forward Serena Clark’s 26-point effort at George Mason on Dec. 3. In addition, senior forward Destiny Mitchell posted eight points and a team-high seven rebounds in Saturday’s loss.

Jacksonville State shot a poor 28 percent from the field and only knocked down 4-of-18 three pointers, but did the most damage at the free throw line with 23-of-32 makes. The Gamecocks also turned 12 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points and got 17 points from their bench.

Meanwhile, ETSU shot the ball better than its opponent at 37 percent and only converted on 4-of-13 behind the arc, but were severely handicapped in its opportunities at the free throw line. The Blue & Gold reached the charity stripe only 14 times where it converted on eight tries and in total were called for 26 personal fouls compared to 16 for JSU. The Bucs owned the paint, though, 32-12, and also turned the Gamecocks over 13 times resulting in 16 points.

The Bucs will enjoy a holiday break before returning to action at home with a matchup versus the Iona Gaels on Monday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. inside Brooks Gym.

 

North Florida 68, Wofford 60

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A second half surge from the Wofford College women’s basketball team wouldn’t prove to be enough as the Ospreys of North Florida beat the Terriers, 68-60, in UNF Arena on Saturday afternoon.

After shooting just 26.5 percent in the first, the Terriers rallied, bringing the game within two points with 5:36 left on the clock. Wofford (3-8) clawed their way back into the game one stop at a time in the second, starting the half in an eight point deficit. The Ospreys built a 12-point lead before Wofford whittled the lead down to just two points over the next 12 minutes.

Destinee Smith, who led the Ospreys’ scoring with 14 points, nailed a three pointer to open the gap back up to five for North Florida (6-5) with 5:22 on the clock. Paulina Zaveckatie scored two of her 12 points less than two minutes later to open up a seven point lead. Following a Brittney Wright free throw, Kentra Washington drained a shot from down town, cutting the lead back to five, but the Terriers could not pull ahead.

Wofford ended the game shooting 30.0 percent from the field, with Jordan Frazier leading all scorers. The junior guard scored 24 points, shooting 7-of-23 from the field, with 5-of-12 falling from long range. Sophomore guard Maria Corella added 11 points off the bench, going 2-of-5 from the field, while shooting perfect from the charity stripe for a career-high seven free throws. Kentra Washington grabbed her second career double-double, scoring 10 points (3-10 FG, 2-2 FT) while pulling down 12 rebounds.

Three Ospreys ended the night in double figures, with Smith’s 14 joined by Amber Robinson’s 13 points (6-11 FG) and Zaveckatie’s 12. Zaveckatie also grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double.

North Florida’s size was tough for the Terriers to cope with. The Osprey’s made a point of attacking the paint, driving from the top of the key and hitting post players for 36 points in the lane. Wofford was also outrebounded by 10, 47-37, creating opportunities for North Florida’s 14 second chance points.

Wofford made an effort to get to the free throw line in the second half and capitalized when given the opportunity. The Terriers shot 16-of-17 from the stripe in the game, good for 94.1 percent, the best percentage by the team all season.

North Florida entered the game firing on all cylinders, taking a 13 point lead before the first 10 minutes of the game expired. The Ospreys worked the ball through Robinson, but had multiple scorers throughout the half. The Ospreys never broke open a huge run, but it seemed in the opening minutes that for every Terrier score that North Florida would respond with two or three of their own.

The Ospreys led by as many as 16, with the Terriers never gaining the lead.

The Terriers continue the North Florida Classic tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. where they face off against Florida International. The game, held in UNF Arena, will be the first meeting ever between the two sides.