Chattanooga 72, Georgia Southern 60STATESBORO, Ga. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Taylor Hall became the 26th member of the UTC women’s 1,000-Point Club Monday at Hanner Fieldhouse and led Chattanooga to a 72-60 win over Georgia Southern Monday night. UTC improves to 19-3 on the year and 11-0 in Southern Conference play while the Eagles fall to 7-15 overall and 5-6 in league action.
Hall scored a career-high 25 points against the Eagles while netting her 10th double-double of the year with 11 rebounds in 39 minutes. She was 11-of-12 from the free throw line, matching her career-high for charity tosses and added three assists and four steals.
The game started slow with neither team able to gather much offense. Over the first 6:10 of the game the two teams combined for 4-of-11 from the field and Georgia Southern’s Anna Claire Knight missed a pair of free throws while Chattanooga had five of the six turnovers in that time frame. With the score tied 5-5, Georgia Southern outscored UTC 9-4 over the next 3:52 to take its largest lead of the game, 14-9 with 9:58 to play in the first.
Chattanooga scored the next six points to take its first lead of the game, 15-14, with 8:41 to play in the opening stanza. The two teams would continue to battle it out with three more ties down the stretch and one lead change. Chattanooga would trail at the half for just the third time this year with GSU leading 30-28.
In the second half, Georgia Southern’s Briana Jones hit the first bucket to put the Eagles up 32-28, their largest lead of the half. From there Chattanooga would put together a 7-0 run started by a layup from Hall at the 18:54 mark. Freshman Aryanna Gilbert grabbed an offensive rebound less than a minute later and had a put back to tie the game before classmate Chelsey Shumpert drained the first of her third 3-pointer to give UTC the lead for good with 16:42 to play.
Georgia Southern would twice get the score back to within a point but UTC freshman Whitney Hartlage (Louisville, Ky.) was fouled as she drove to the basket. Her two free throws sparked a 16-0 run capped off by Shumpert’s second and third 3-pointers, giving UTC its largest lead of the game at 55-38 with 8:12 to play.
Georgia Southern outscored UTC 8-3 over the next 4:00 to make it 58-46 in Chattanooga’s favor with 4:12 to play. One minute later Hall missed her chance at 1,000 points but teammate Ka’Vonne Towns grabbed the rebound to keep the possession alive. She missed a 3-point chance, but Hall returned the favor by grabbing the board. She missed a layup attempt and snared the rebound again and this time found the rim sinking the shot and drawing the foul for her 1,001st career point.
The Mocs final 12 points would all be free throws beginning with Hall’s “and 1”. She would hit seven of her eight attempts in the final minutes and tie her career-best for made free throws with 11 while UTC combined for 11-of-14 free throws in the last 3:12 of the game.
Chattanooga’s bench outscored Georgia Southern 21-8 and the two went point-for-point in the paint with 26 each. UTC scored 25 points off 18 Eagle turnovers compared to GSU’s 11 points off 13 Chattanooga miscues. The Mocs outrebounded the Eagles 39-28 and scored 14 points off 13 offensive boards.
Shumpert had 13 points for UTC, all in the second half, and was 3-of-4 from the 3-point line. Towns had eight points for UTC with two steals while senior Ashlen Dewart contributed six points and five rebounds. Chattanooga was 24-of-59 (40.7%) from the field and 6-of-20 (30%) from the 3-point line while draining 90 percent (18-of-20) of its free throws.
In the first half, Georgia Southern made several trips to the free throw line making 12-of-15 but was just 5-of-6 in the second half. The Eagles were 5-of-12 from the 3-point line while making 19-of-48 from the field.
Knight led three Georgia Southern players in double figures with 19 points. Briana Jones and MiMi DuBose each added 13 points for GSU while Jones and Sierra Kirkland each grabbed a team-high six points.
UTC has now won 15 straight games and runs its Southern Conference win streak to 27 consecutive games.
Western Carolina 66, Wofford 47CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Guards Rena Wakama and Lindsay Simpson combined for 34 points as Western Carolina women’s basketball (11-11, 5-6 Southern Conference) defeated Wofford (5-16, 3-8 SoCon) 66-47 Monday in the Ramsey Center.
Simpson, a sophomore from Franklin, N.C., scored 15 of her game-leading 18 points in the second half and went 4-of-5 from behind the three point arch. Wakama, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., scored all 16 of her points in the first half.
After building a 33-19 first half lead, Western Carolina held the scrappy Wofford offense at bay by bending and not breaking in the second half. The Catamounts never trailed in the game.
Kristen Lyon hit a lay-up, to start the second half and give WCU a 35-19 lead. Western Carolina then watched its double digit lead slip to just a nine point advantage, but the Catamounts always had an answer to Terrier scoring.
Wofford’s Erin Frost hit a pair of free throws, making the score 38-27, but Simpson answered with a three-pointer. Frost one-upped Simpson with a three-pointer in return, but a five-point swing thanks to a jumper by Brianne Mack and a trey by Ali Lane, quieted the Terriers.
Thanks to the five-point swing, making the score 45-31, Western Carolina would lead by double digits the remainder of the second half. Western Carolina’s largest lead of the game, 19 points, came twice in the final 1:10 of the game, both coming at the hands of the Catamounts’ Justin Taylor who hit a free throw at 1:10 and then a jumper in the final nine seconds of the contest.
Western Carolina’s scorching 50 percent shooting from the field, in the first half, helped the Catamounts take control of the game early and never relinquish it. Wakama scored the first four points of the game, leading to her 16 first-half points.
Wofford held with Western Carolina for most of the first half, trailing by just three points, thanks to a Chanel Stokes three-pointer to make the score 13-10 with 11:18 left in the half. Wakama hit a lay-up with 11:02 left and then neither team scored for almost four minutes. Shauna Terry broke the scoring lull when she hit a jumper with 7:49 left making the score 17-10. Wakama bookended the Western Carolina scoring run, capping it off with a three-pointer, in the Catamounts 9-0 run to build a 22-10 lead.
An 8-to-4 run by Wofford trimmed Western Carolina’s lead to six, 27-18 with 3:18 left in the half. Wakama was there again to have an answer for the Terrier’s run with her second three-pointer in the game. The Catamounts went on a 9-to-1 run, in the final four minutes, to build a 14 points (33-19) lead at the half.
The Catamounts held Wofford to an anemic 23.3 percent shooting in the first half. The Terriers hit just seven field goals in the first 20 minutes and finished the game shooting 28.6 percent. Western Carolina was just below its first half shooting percentage, in the second half, shooting 48.1 percent ending the game shooting a season-high 49.1 percent.
Western Carolina scored 21 points off 18 Wofford turnovers and also had 10 steals. The Terriers just edged the Catamounts in rebounds 40-38 but the Catamounts ripped down 30 defensive boards. The Catamounts also got 36 points from their bench.
Taylor just missed a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds and also had three assists and four steals. Logan Morris led Wofford with a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Davidson 76, Samford 58DAVIDSON, N.C. – In addition to Laura Murray (25) and Hannah Early (21) combining for 46 points, Davidson drilled home 10-of-13 three-pointers on its way to a 76-58 victory over Samford in Southern Conference women's basketball action Monday evening at Belk Arena. Coming off a 26-point effort Saturday against Chattanooga, Murray finished 9-of-15 from the floor and knocked down 4-of-5 from long range. Early was just as impressive going 8-of-15, while canning all five of her attempts from behind the arc. The duo was just as impressive defensively as Murray pulled down eight boards and Early recorded three blocks.
Shneeka Center also hit double digits for Davidson (11-11, 8-3 SoCon) with 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds for her third career double-double and second of the season.
The Wildcats, who made a season-high 11 treys in their last meeting with the Bulldogs, finished at 49 percent overall, while holding Samford (6-16, 4-7 SoCon) to just 29 percent after intermission and 34.4 percent for the game.
After Samford reeled off nine unanswered to go up 15-14, the Wildcats responded with a 20-5 run highlighted by 19 combined points from Murray (10) and Center (9) to grab their largest lead of the opening period, 34-20. Davidson, which was very efficient from three-point range (5-7) and the charity stripe (11-13) in the first half, carried a 40-30 advantage into the break.
Like the Wildcats, Samford placed three players in double figures, led by 15 from Lydia McGhee. Kassidy Blevins dropped in 13 points and Clara Young came off the bench for an even 10.
Davidson scored seven straight to begin the second half and eventually stretched its margin to as many as 22 (76-54) on a pair of Dakota Dukes’ freebies with 1:32 to play. Despite struggling with her shot, Dukes added seven rebounds, while handing out six dimes.
Along with controlling the glass, 40-33, the 'Cats finished with 17 assists on 25 made field goals.
Appalachian State 75, Furman 70BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's basketball came away with a victory against Furman on Monday night, beating the Paladins with a score of 75-70.
The Mountaineers (9-12, 6-5 SoCon) overcame a close game with Furman (12-10, 6-5 SoCon), while recording four players in double-figures.
The Apps were the first to get on the board with a jumper from Bria Huffman but the first half would be a battle featuring a tied score seven different times.
The largest lead of the half would come at the 11:48 mark when the Paladins scored six straight points to lead 16-10. The Mountaineers responded with a 10-0 run to take the lead 20-16 with 8 minutes left in the first half.
The Mountaineers were able to maintain the lead as Furman trailed 34-31 at halftime.
Huffman and KeKe Cooper led the way for the Apps at the half, each contributing 10 points. Appalachian shot 43.8 percent (14-32) in the first half. The Mountaineers' leading scorer, Maryah Sydnor, was 0-8 in the first half, tallying zero points.
Brittany Hodges led the Paladins in the first part of the game, recording ten points. Furman shot 40.0 percent (12-30) from the floor.
The Apps immediately found points in the second half, but Furman would not let the Mountaineers pull away, keeping them within five points until the 12:28 minute mark. Katie Mallow hit a lay up to put Appalachian up by seven with a score of 50-43.
Furman scored 13 points in the next three minutes to only trail by two points as the Apps led 58-56 with 8:02 left to play.
With 2:27 left in the game, the Mountaineers still only led by one point with a score of 67-66, but they would convert on six free throws in the last seconds to take the game with a final score of 75-70.
Cooper led the Mountaineers in the victory, scoring 16 points. Huffman followed with 15 of her own, while grabbing seven rebounds.
Mallow finished with 14 points, while Sydnor ended the game with a double-double of 14 points and ten rebounds.
The Mountaineers shot 42.9 percent on the night, while pulling down 42 rebounds and recording 14 turnovers.
Hodges had a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds, followed by Holli Wilkin's 17 points. Whitney Bunn poured in 11 points for the Paladins, followed by Sarah Durdaller's ten points and nine rebounds.
Furman shot 38.2 percent from the floor, while notching 44 rebounds and 15 turnovers in the loss.