Western Carolina's Judith Martin Ruiz
Western Carolina Athletics
Western Carolina's Judith Martin Ruiz

Women's Basketball

Catamounts down Southern Wesleyan to start 2020

Farasia Hodge scores career-high 17 in win

The Basics
Score: Western Carolina 70, Southern Wesleyan 37
Records: Western Carolina 3-12, Southern Wesleyan 1-12
Location: Ramsey Center, Cullowhee, N.C.   
 
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior Farasia Hodge poured in a career-high 17 points as Western Carolina women's basketball opened 2020 with a 70-37 win over Southern Wesleyan Monday in the Ramsey Center.  
 
Turning Point:
Western Carolina outscored Southern Wesleyan 20-7 in the first quarter and went on to outscore the Warriors in all four quarters. 
 
Individual Leaders
  • Hodge led all scorers with 17 points hitting seven three-pointers and ripping down eight rebounds.
  • Lauren LaPlant and Tembre Moates each had 12 points for the Catamounts.
  • Senior Judith Martin Ruiz just missed scoring in double figures with nine points and dished out six assists. 
  • Southern Wesleyan's Emily Waters led the Warriors with 13 points. 
  • The Warriors' Lisana Burnett ripped down 11 rebounds.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • Western Carolina scored 20 points in the first quarter and 20 in the third quarter. 
  • The Catamounts saw a lot of action from its bench as WCU picked up 34 points from the reserves. Western Carolina's starters did not play in the final six-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. 
  • WCU enjoyed its largest lead of the night, 35 points, with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter. 
  • Western Carolina ripped down a season-best 45 rebounds in the contest. Thirty-five of WCU's rebounds were on the defensive end. 
  • As a team, the Catamounts dished out a season-best 23 assists. 
  • Southern Wesleyan committed 22 turnovers in the game equating to 19 WCU points. 
  • The Catamounts nailed six three-pointers in the game and limited Southern Wesleyan to one.
  • Each team went to the free-throw line 14 times with WCU hitting eight and the Warriors sinking six.  
 
News & Notes
  • Hodge came off the bench scoring her new career-high of 17 points and connecting on a career-best seven field goals. She also ripped down a season-best eight rebounds. 
  • Smalls had her streak of double-figure scoring halted at 11-consecutive with two points against the Warriors. 
  • LaPlant hit four three-pointers in the game and has scored at least one three-pointer in all 15 contests on the season.
  • WCU's win over Southern Wesleyan halts a four-game losing streak. 
  • LaPlant has scored in double figures in seven of the last nine games. She has also hit four or more three-pointers in a game in five of the last seven contests. 
  • The Catamounts' 70 points in the game is a season-high for the team. Western Carolina has scored 60 or more points in six of the last seven games. In that seven-game stretch, WCU is averaging 63.1 points per game. 
  • Moates has had a strong showing in the last six games scoring in double figures in four of the last six games including her 12 points against the Warriors. In that six-game stretch, she is averaging 12.2 points per game. 
 
Up Next
Western Carolina opens Southern Conference play at 7 p.m. Thursday hosting Chattanooga.