Furman 84, Appalachian State 79
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Whitney Bunn scored a career high 26 points and Holli Wilkins added 24 points, including 17 in the second half, to help Furman beat Appalachian State, 84-79, in women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
In a battle of former Southern Conference foes, Furman (6-3) led by as many as 19 points in the second half before Appalachian State (3-3) twice cut the advantage to three points but could get no closer as the Paladins held on to post their 15th win in the last 17 home games.
Bunn, the Paladins’ sophomore point guard coming off a school record 15-assist performance in a victory over Coastal Carolina on Wednesday night, continued her productive play by converting 11-of-18 shots, including 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range, while tacking on five assists.
It was Wilkins, however, who rescued Furman from Appalachian State’s furious second half comeback, delivering back-to-back driving layups after the Mountaineers fashioned a 17-4 run to cut the Paladins’ 19-point lead to six at 69-63 with 8:25 remaining.
A layup by Appalachian State’s Bria Huffman with 3:10 to go got the Mountaineers to within four at 78-74, but Wilkins answered again with another layup following an offensive rebound for a six-point lead.
Wikins stretched the advantage to 82-74 with a pair of free throws with just under two minutes left.
The Mountaineers wouldn’t go away, however, as an Angela Bassett-Smith basket and Katie Mallow 3-pointer with 1:06 to go sliced the lead to 82-79.
After Furman failed to score on the ensuing possession, Mallow’s pressured 3-point attempt failed to reach the rim, and the Paladins’ Allison Beasley put the game in the win column by draining a pair of free throws with five seconds showing on the clock.
Wilkins’ season high 24-point performance featured 9-of-16 shooting, five rebounds, and a career high six assists.
Sarah Durdaller added 13 points and a team high nine rebounds, and Brittany Hodges finished with 11 points.
Maryah Sydnor claimed game high scoring honors with 32 points, which featured 9-of-16 shooting and solid work at free throw line, where the Mountaineer senior forward converted 12-of-14 opportunities. As a team Appalachian State knocked home 23-of-27 free throws.
Mallow chipped in 15 points for Appalachian State.
Furman used 50.0 percent shooting (18-of-36) in the first half to take a 46-33 advantage into intermission. The Paladins led 65-46 five minutes into the second period following a steal by and layup by Bunn.
Furman finished the game shooting 45.1 percent (32-of-71) and the Mountaineers 38.8 percent (26-of-67).
Furman continues its five-game homestand on Monday when it entertains North Greenville in a 7:00 p.m. contest.
Samford 70, UAB 41
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The Samford women’s basketball team used a strong second half to pull away from UAB for a 70-41 win over the Blazers in the second-annual Red Mountain Rivalry game Saturday afternoon in the Pete Hanna Center.
Samford led by five points at halftime, 30-25, but the Bulldogs outscored the Blazers, 40-16 in the second half to pull away for the win. Morris said he liked how his team played coming off a tough loss at Troy Wednesday evening.
Samford was led in scoring in the game by Hannah Nichols with 19 points. Destiney Elliott followed with 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Taylor Reece and Krista Stricklin added 10 points each for the Bulldogs.
For UAB, Miranda Burroughs led the way with eight points. Janeka Williams and Chelsee Black scored seven points each for the Blazers.
The game was tight through most of the first half, with neither team able to grab more than a four-point lead for most of the half. With the game tied at 19-19, Samford went on a 9-2 run to take a 28-21 lead with 1:38 left in the first half following a three-pointer by Nichols.
UAB fought back to cut the lead to just three points at 28-25 with 23 seconds left before halftime after a pair of free throws by Black. A late layup by Nichols gave Samford a five-point advantage at 30-25, heading into the locker room at halftime.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half until, with Samford leading, 36-29, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to push their lead out to 15 points at 44-29 with 11:18 to go after a three-pointer by Kassidy Blevins. UAB came back to cut the Samford lead to 10 points at 46-36 with 9:01 to go after a pair of free throws by T’erra Lewis.
Samford then took complete control of the game by going on a 17-1 run to push its lead to 26 points at 63-37 with 2:49 left in the game after two free throws by Elliott. The Blazers could get no closer than 24 points the rest of the way as Samford came away with the 29-point win, 70-41.
As a team, Samford shot 45.3 percent overall and 57.1 percent from three-point range. UAB hit just 27.1 percent of its shots overall and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. Samford made all 14 of its free-throw attempts, and UAB was 11-of-16 from the charity stripe.
Samford won the rebounding battle in the game, 38-29. Samford committed just eight turnovers in the win, while UAB had 10 turnovers.
With the win, Samford improves to 5-3 on the young season. UAB falls to 4-3 with the loss.
Samford will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 14, when the Bulldogs play at Auburn. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from Auburn Arena.
Mercer 84, Georgia Southern 61
STATESBORO, Ga. – Precious Bridges and Briana Williams both scored 20 points to lead the Mercer women’s basketball team to an 84-61 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon.
Bridges led all scorers with 22 points, while Briana Williams added a season-high 20 points, Alicia Williams tallied 12 and Kahlia Lawrence notched 10 points. Lawrence also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds to record her first career double-double. Teanna Robinson also had double-figure rebounds, with 10 and added eight points and two blocks.
Madi Mitchell tallied seven points and five rebounds for Mercer, while Alicia Williams added six rebounds and three steals, Lawrence dished out a season-high six assists, Bridges notched six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Briana Williams added four rebounds.
Mercer (5-3) got started early in the second half, as Lawrence hit a layup with just 11 seconds off the clock. The Eagles (2-5) answered with a 10-4 spurt that lasted 3:13 and moved the score to 48-34 with 15:53 to play.
With 12:20 left in the game, Briana Williams nailed a jumper that sparked a 19-4 Mercer run that lasted 6:22 and stretched the Bears’ lead to 75-48. Georgia Southern had a couple of spurts in the final 5:58, but it was too little too late for the Eagles.
Overall, Mercer shot 44.0 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from behind the three-point line. The Bears outrebounded the Eagles, 52-32, and added 10 assists and nine steals. Mercer s scored 32 points from the bench, led by Briana Williams.
The teams traded baskets and the lead for the first four minutes of the game, but the Bears took control with a 12-2 run that lasted 3:06 and gave Mercer a 19-9 advantage with 12:31 left in the first half. Mercer’s run included 10 points from Briana Williams.
The Bears controlled the remainder of the half, never letting Georgia Southern cut Mercer’s lead to less than eight. Mercer scored eight unanswered points in the final 2:36 of the period to take an 18-point advantage, 42-24.
Mercer shot 36.4 percent from the field, which included 14 second chance points, as the Bears outrebounded the Eagles, 32-15. Mercer also won the turnover battle, 4-8, and tallied four steals in the first half.
Up next, Mercer will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face Alabama on December 14 at 1 p.m.
ETSU 88, Alabama A&M 64
NORMAL, Ala. – With all five starters reaching double-figures, the ETSU women’s basketball team cruised to an 88-64 victory against the Alabama A&M Lady Bulldogs on Saturday evening inside Elmore Gym.
With the win, ETSU improves to 5-4 on the season while Alabama A&M drops to 0-7 on the year.
Looking to conclude their six-game road swing with consecutive victories, the Bucs engaged in back and forth action early on versus the Lady Bulldogs. After playing to a tie score, 12-12, with 12:23 left to play in the opening period, the Blue & Gold went on a 20-5 run over the next six minutes to take control of the half. A three-pointer from Shamauria Bridges with 2:33 to go in the opening period pushed ETSU’s advantage to a first half-high 19 points, 45-26. A couple of late baskets in the half from A&M brought the score to 47-32 going into halftime.
Armed with a sizable advantage, the Bucs continued the momentum to begin the second half. ETSU scored the first 10 points of the period and continued to pour it on to increase its lead to a game high 28 points, 64-36, with 16:30 left to play. Facing a large deficit, the home team refused to go away lightly; responding to a 27-point deficit with 13:25 to go with a 21-10 surge to bring the score to 78-62 with 3:40 remaining. Following the Lady Bulldogs’ rally, the Blue & Gold closed the contest with a 10-2 streak to wrap up an 88-64 win.
For the third time this season, ETSU featured five players in double-figures; led by Destiny Mitchell and Tianna Tarter each with team highs of 16 points. In addition, Chandler Christopher added 15, Bridges 14 and Serena Clark 12. To go along with their point totals, Tarter also contributed four rebounds, four assists and six steals while Clark grabbed a game and season-high 15 rebounds. For A&M, the Lady Bulldogs featured a pair of double-digit scorers led by a game-high 19 points from Brittney Strickland.
ETSU dominated A&M in the paint, 50-26, and also got out on the fast break for 17 points. As a team, the Bucs shot a blistering 55 percent from the field and also an efficient 7-of-15 from behind the three-point line. The Blue & Gold also turned the Lady Bulldogs over 16 times, resulting in 17 points, and converted 18 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points.
Meanwhile, Alabama A&M shot a sub-par 39 percent from the field and were unsuccessful from behind the arc with only 2-of-12 makes. The Lady Bulldogs did shoot a crisp 16-of-19 from the free throw line and got 16 points from their limited bench.
The Bucs will return to Brooks Gym for the first time in nearly a month when it welcomes Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 2 p.m.
Western Carolina 63, USC Upstate 59 (OT)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s basketball won an overtime thriller 63-59 against USC Upstate Saturday in the Ramsey Center.
The Catamounts have now won three straight and improve to 5-3 on the year. USC Upstate falls to 4-5.
Trailing by three, senior guard Ali Lane drained a three-pointer with 7.8 seconds left to force overtime. It was the second of two three pointers Lane hit in the final 42 seconds of regulation.
With 40 seconds remaining, the Spartans felt they might have the game in hand leading by five, after a pair of free throws by Brittany Clency. Catamount freshman Emily Hatfield hit a lay-up with 28 seconds left, to push over to a career-high 10 points, and set up the game-tying three-pointer by Lane.
Western Carolina took control of the game in overtime. The Catamounts scored the first four points of the OT, thanks to a pair of free throws by Justin Taylor and a lay-up by Brianne Mack, to lead 58-54. USC Upstate trimmed the game to one, 60-59, when Raven Jefferson hit a three-pointer.
In the final 1:35 of overtime, Catamount freshman Kyia Hough was 3-of-4 from the free throw line to keep the Spartans at bay.
Western Carolina led by a thin margin of 27-26 at the half. The Catamounts kept its lead until 13:27, in the second half, when Shermayne Edwards hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 35. Brittany Starling followed with a pair of free throws and the Spartans captured its first lead of the second half, 37-35.
The Catamounts would trail for the remainder of the second half with USC Upstate building its largest lead of the game, 47-40, with 4:54 left. Western Carolina would begin to chip away at the Spartan lead starting with a jumper by Hatfield with 4:13 left.
In fact, Hatfield scored six straight points for WCU, including going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to cut the USC Upstate lead to one, 47-46, with 1:36 left on the clock. The buckets by Hatfield set up the thrilling finish to regulation sending the game to overtime.
Along with Hatfield’s career-high 10 points, Western Carolina also got 15 points from senior guard Taylor. It was the eighth straight game Taylor has scored in double figures. Senior Makensey Campbell put in a solid performance with eight points and tied her career-high with 10 rebounds.
For the game, Western Carolina shot 31.7 percent from the field while USC Upstate shot 29.9 percent. The Catamounts made the most of its 25 trips to the free throw line hitting 19 and shooting 76 percent. WCU also commanded the paint scoring 26 points and also got 13 second chance points.
Western Carolina will take a week off for finals before returning to action December 14 when it travels to Blacksburg, Va. to take on Virginia Tech. Tip time is set for noon.
Wofford 70, UNC Asheville 52
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A career day from junior Jordan Frazier and an explosive second-half performance from classmate Chanel Stokes propelled the Terriers to a 70-52 road victory over the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville on Saturday afternoon in Kimmel Arena.
Frazier scored a career-best 28 points, helping lead Wofford (2-5) to the win over UNC Asheville (2-5). Frazier was 9-of-16 from the field and tied a career-best 4 3-point field goals, while also sinking all six of her free throw opportunities of the game.
Stokes played a large role in the win as well. With a second-half scoring outburst, Stokes scored 17 of her 19 points. The Cincinnati native shot 7-of-11 from the field, slashing and cutting in the paint to score 14 points while adding 5 more from the charity stripe.
The Wofford win was the program’s 300th game under the direction of head coach Edgar I. Farmer, Jr.
The win over UNC Asheville is the Terrier’s third straight win in the series. The win also halts the 27 road game skid, as Wofford earned its first road victory in nearly two years. The Terriers last won on the road against Alabama on December 17, 2012.
Frazier and Stokes accounted for roughly two-thirds of the Terriers’ points, combining for 47 of the total 70. The duo held their own on the defensive end as well, each recording 5 steals – tying a season-high for Frazier and a new career-best for Stokes. Fellow starters Lauren Kirby (2-4 FG, 3-5 FT) and Ashton Fleming (3-9 FG, 1-1 FT) added seven points apiece, while Kentra Washington led the team in total rebounds with seven.
UNC Asheville had three players score in double figures despite a season-low 33.9 percent shooting from the field. Bronaza Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs’ scoring efforts with 14 points (6-8 FG, 2-6 FT), while Brittany Gwyn netted 11 (4-7 FG, 3-4 FT). Tianna Knuckles added 13 bench points, but the trio couldn’t will the Bulldogs to victory.
Wofford outrebounded its opponent for the third time this year, grabbing 43 rebounds to UNC Asheville’s 36. Wofford took away the game capitalizing on forced turnovers and making smart outlet passes to earn a whopping 26-2 margin on fast break points in the contest. Wofford also corrected free throw troubles from the game before, converting on 74.1 of their opportunities from the line – compared to just 44.4 percent in the previous outing.
Frazier carried the Terriers throughout the first half, responding when the team needed her most. The game opened with a quick score from Shonese Jones just five seconds in, before Frazier dropped six straight points. The Norcross, Ga. native refused to slow down as the Terriers’ lead grew to as many as 13 in the first half. Wofford led, 26-13, with 8:32 left in the first 20 minutes following another 3-pointer from Frazier and a pair of Maria Corella free throws. The Terriers let the lead slip, entering the locker room by only three, 34-31. At the break Frazier led all scorers with 16 points, but had little support, with Kirby and Fleming scoring a team second and third-best, six and five respectively.
A jumper from Knuckles brought the game within a point with 16:50 remaining, but the Bulldogs would never lead. The Terriers outscored the Bulldogs 33-16 in the remaining action. The team clicked, with the best example of their collective play happening during a minute span beginning at the 11:47 mark. Over the course of the minute, Wofford went on a 6-0 run, with two scores a result of steals being taken coast-to-coast for easy layups by Frazier and Stokes.
The Terriers will look to continue their winning ways in a week, returning home to the confines of the Benjamin Johnson Arena where they take on NAIA foe Montreat College. Tipoff is set for Saturday the 13th at 2:00 p.m.