Weekly Women’s Basketball Notes, December 22, 2008
Women's basketball notes and game recaps for week ending December 21, 2008.
BREVARD - The Brevard women's basketball team played their first game in 12 days on Thursday, December 18th, falling on the road to Limestone College, 74-64 ... A basket by Lindsay Brendle brought the Tornados back within two, five minutes into the game, but the Lady Saints went on a 33-22 run to close out the first half with a 43-30 lead ... The Tornados fought back in the second half, outscoring Limestone 19-2, cutting the lead to four points at 57-53 on back-to-back free throws by Millie Wharton. However, the comeback ended up for naught as Limestone was able to hold on for the 74-64 win ... The Tornados were led by Samantha Winn who recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brendle and Amber Roberts each had 10 points apiece to pace the attack ... The Tornados will play one final game in the 2008 calendar year, as Brevard will travel to Bristol, Virginia to take on the Lady Cobras of Virginia Intermont College.The Tornados defeated Virginia Intermont 79-58 at Brevard back on November 25 for their first win of the season.
CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles turned in a 2-0 week to move to 9-2 on the season, picking up home wins over North Georgia, 76-72, and North Greenville, 102-81...C-N roared to a 40-24 halftime lead in the NGCSU win, only to see it slip away down the stretch...The Lady Eagles would force a Lady Saints turnover in the final moments, leading 74-72, to hold on for the win...The Lady Eagles were able to survive a poor shooting night...C-N hit just 12-of-32 shots in the second half, but forced 30 turnovers...Junior Ashley Kyle led the Lady Eagles with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting...Senior Lindsey Eggleston , who hit a pair of free throws with two seconds left to ice the game, added 12 points and four rebounds...Junior Shari Buford and senior Ashley Tipton each finished with 10 points...Tipton added six rebounds...The Lady Eagles were outrebounded 46-38, it was the second time in as many games the Lady Eagles were outrebounded, after winning the battle of the boards in their first eight games... The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles forced 31 turnovers to wear down visiting North Greenville University on Friday afternoon, 102-81...The Lady Eagles would set the high-scoring tone right out of the gate, knocking down their first five three-point attempts to build a 19-5 lead just three minutes into the game... NGU would answer with a 20-5 run to gain a 25-24 edge...The one-point advantage was Crusaders only lead of the day...C-N would answer with an 11-2 run to close the first half to take 56-46 lead into the locker room...Sophomore Mandy Mendenhall's 14 first-half points fueled the run...The Lady Eagles buried 7-of-12 three pointers in the first half, finishing the game 9-of-16, to keep NGU at bay... Both teams shot 56 percent in the first half...The C-N lead hovered around double digits for much of the second half, until a late 19-9 run pushed the Lady Eagle lead out to 21 points at 96-75...Mendenhall led C-N with 18 points...Kyle added 16, while Eggleston chipped in 15, including 4-of-4 from behind the arc...Four Lady Eagles are averaging double figures, led by Kyle at 15.1...Buford is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 12.5 ppg, followed by Eggleston at 11.4 and Mendenhall at 10.6...Buford leads the team with 7.9 boards per game.... As a team, C-N is averaging 84.3 points per game, outscoring opponents by 10 points per game...The Lady Eagles return to action in the new year, when they travel to Newberry, S.C. to face Newberry College ...The January 3 showdown tips at 2 p.m. in Eleazer Arena.
CATAWBA - The Catawba women won twice last week to finish the pre-Christmas schedule with three straight wins … On Tuesday the Lady Indians topped Livingstone 69-57 then picked up an 84-75 win over Saint Paul's on Friday … Brooke Whitley posted her first career double-double to lead Catawba past Livingstone … Whitley recorded career highs with 19 points and 11 rebounds … red-shirt freshman Dana Hicks, playing in her first game for the Lady Indians, also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds … Livingstone had an early 9-2 lead in the opening two and half minutes, but Catawba scored eight straight points to take a 10-9 edge … the Blue Bears held one last lead, but two free throws by Hicks put Catawba up for good at 12-11 with 13:02 remaining … The free throws started a 19-2 run that pushed Catawba's lead to 29-13 with 6:51 to go ... Whitley had two of her three-pointers in the run and finished the half with 13 points ... Catawba took a 37-23 lead to the break as Livingstone hit on just 29 percent from the field with the Lady Indians holding a 31-20 edge on the boards … Catawba would increase its lead in the second half to 26 points before Livingstone closed the game on a 17-3 run over the final six minutes ... The Lady Indians finished with a 54-47 edge on the boards and scored 26 points off 25 Blue Bear turnovers … Against Saint Paul's Catawba used a 14-3 run late in the second half to secure the win … Cameron Clark led Catawba with 17 points and hit on six free throws in the final minute to help secure the win … Whitley scored all 13 of her points in the second half and Hicks added 12 points off the bench for Catawba … Whitley grabbed a team-high eight rebounds … The game featured 17 lead changes in a see-saw affair ... The Lady Indians shot 57 percent in the first half and scored four points in the final 16 seconds to take a 42-39 lead to the break ... Catawba missed on its first six shots of the final half, but stayed in front until the 14:17 mark of the half … The lead changed hands seven times over the next three minutes until a layup by Kisha Long gave the Lady Indians the lead for good at 55-54 with 11:01 remaining ... Leading 61-58 with just under six minutes to play, Whitley hit three from behind the arc in the run to push the Catawba advantage to its largest of the game at 73-61 with 3:26 left ... The Tigers pulled within 76-70 with 1:38 to go then Clark canned six straight from the line to keep Catawba in front ... The Lady Indians shot just 38 percent in the final half, but hit on 12-of-15 free throws and out-rebounded Saint Paul's 26-17 in the final 20 minutes ... Long dished out seven assists to go along with nine points ... The Lady Indians return to action in the New Year, hosting Belmont Abbey on Jan. 3.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University women's basketball team (9-1, 1-0) ran its winning streak to seven games and is off to its best start in seven years after winning both games of the Holiday Inn South Classic in Lakeland, Fla. ... Lenoir-Rhyne defeated St. Leo (66-62) and Florida Southern (84-80) last Wednesday and Thursday … Against the Lions, the Bears trailed by a 40-30 score early in the second half before using a 14-1 run to take the lead while their bench scored 17 after halftime that proved to be the difference … Lenoir-Rhyne freshman guard Cameron Sealey (Gastonia, N.C.) led the way with 14 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and four steals … Against Florida Southern, Lenoir-Rhyne built a 25-point first-half lead and was able to withstand a 60-point second half by the Mocs to pick up the win … Junior center Denise Moore (Newport News, Va.) had her second straight 15-point, 10-rebound contest and was one of five players to score in double figures for Lenoir-Rhyne … Duke University transfer Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va.), in her first three games with the Bears, has averaged 10 points per game … Senior guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) is just 88 points away from becoming the 14th player in school history to score 1,000 points … Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Queens (Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 6 p.m.) and St. Paul's (Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 4 p.m.) before the New Year … Queens leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 8-7, while L-R and St. Paul's have never met.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL - The Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team got back on the winning track Tuesday as they knocked off Lambuth University 73-60 to improve to 5-3 on the year … The LMU women got 16 points from Stephanie Wagner, 15 points from Dayshalee Salaman and 10 points each from Andi Winney, Megan Davis and Amberly O'Dell en route to their fifth win of the year ... A solid offensive performance and complete domination of the boards allowed the University of Indianapolis to roll over the Lady Railsplitters on Saturday afternoon by the final of 84-50 … Although the Lady Railsplitters hit 44.4 percent of their shots behind the three point line, Indianapolis out rebounded the LMU women by more than a margin of two to one and hit a blistering 51.6 percent of their shots from the field and 86.7 percent of their shots from the free throw line to cruise a 34 point victory over LMU … The Grayhounds' rebounding effort proved to play a significant role in the Lady Railsplitters' demise. The University of Indianapolis pulled 46 total rebounds to LMU's 22 which allowed 13 second chances on the offensive glass … Stephanie Wagner and Amberly O'Dell led the Lady Railsplitters in scoring. Wagner finished the game with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor, including 3-4 from behind the three point line, while O'Dell hit 4-7 shots from the floor, including 4-6 on the outside to finish with 13 points … Now 5-4 on the year, the Lady Railsplitters will take several days off before resuming the schedule on December 29 in Florence, Alabama in the North Alabama Holiday Classic..
MARS HILL - Mars Hill lost both of their games last week in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout. MHC fell to 6-4 on the year … In the first round of the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout, the Lions almost stunned the No. 5 team in NCAA Division II, California University of Pennsylvania. Mars Hill lost 59-57 after eight ties and four lead changes … After the score was tied at 17-all with 8:47 left in the first half, MHC went on a 8-1 run to enjoy their largest lead of the game, 25-18 with 6:43 left in the first stanza after Danielle Francis (Bamberg, S.C.) hit a shot in the lane. The Vulcans then closed out the first half of play out scoring MHC, 14-3 to enjoy a four-point advantage (32-28) at the half … The Vulcans would never trail in the second half. They extended their lead to as many as 11 points (43-32) with 15:24 on the clock. The Lions rallied cutting the deficit to three points on the same number of occasions but that was as close as they would get. The Vulcans won the rebound battle, 47-35, scored 38 points in the paint and added 16 second chance points … The teams combined for 51 turnovers in the game … Shamia Terry (Greenville, S.C.) led MHC with 13 points and eight rebounds. Megan Clevenger (Parrottsville, Tenn.) followed with nine points and five rebounds. Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) also scored nine points … In the second round of the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout, the Lions lost to the University of Charleston, 61-55 … Veronica Carman hit a 3-pointer with 18:19 left in the first half to give Charleston a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the contest … The Golden Eagles built a 15 point advantage (26-11) with 7:58 left in the first frame and held on to take a 33-22 lead into the locker room at halftime … Bria Smith (Marietta, Ga.) hit a 3-pointer to open the second half and cut the deficit to eight points (33-25). The Golden Eagles converted on their next possession and maintained a double-digit lead until the 5:34 mark when Erica Warren (Danville, Va.) hit a layup to bring the Lions within eight (53-45) once again … MHC out scored Charleston 8-2 over the next four minutes to trim the Golden Eagles' lead to just two points (55-53) after a successful shot from behind the arc by Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.). After a layup by Charleston and two successful free throws by Young the score was 57-55 with 38 ticks left … With 14 seconds left in regulation, Lindsey Kittner missed a layup but pulled down her own miss before getting fouled. She then sank a pair of shots at the charity stripe to seal the win for Charleston … MHC missed their next attempt and was forced to foul. Jihan Williams sank her two free throw shots to make the final tally, 61-55 … Young led all scorers with 20 points and four assists. For her efforts in the event, Young was selected to the All-Tournament Team … Smith was the only other Lion in double figures with 12 points … Williams and Carman led Charleston scoring 19 and 14 points in the contest, respectively. Charleston won the rebound battle, 37-32. Neither team shot well in the game. MHC hit 38.6 percent while Charleston converted 42.3 percent from the floor … The Lions will take a few days off for Christmas and then return to action on December 30. Mars Hill will host Belmont Abbey as part of a double header with the men's team. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's basketball team kept its hot streak alive Tuesday afternoon by defeating the Limestone Saints at home, 76-52... It was the team's only game of the week and its sixth consecutive victory... Laura Marquardt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had a great game and earned her first career double-double... She earned team highs in points (16), rebounds (10), and assists (9)... Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) also played well and earned her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds... Newberry set the tempo of the game early and went up 19-2 after six minutes of play... Even with the large lead the scarlet and gray never stepped off the gas pedal, earning a 37-11 lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the half... Newberry went back into the locker room up, 40-18... NC tied their season low for points allowed in a half... Newberry's 22 point lead was too much for Limestone to overcome, but they still played strong in the second half... The Saints even outscored the home team by four points in the first ten minutes of the second half... They cut the deficit to 16 points at one point but could not get further over the hump... The scarlet and gray finished the game on a 12-4 run and won the game by 24 points... The sixth consecutive win puts Newberry at 8-2 overall on the season... They will take a two week break for the holidays before playing on the road against Georgia College and State at the Craig Massee Real Estate Classic on December 29 at 5 p.m.
TUSCULUM - The No. 13 Pioneers posted another 2-0 week to improve to 10-1 this season, defeating Oakland City and Lewis last week … Jasmine Gunn led TC to a pair of double-digit victories with two seven assist performances, including a 23-point game against Oakland City on Monday … Ashli Oliver had her best shooting night of the season against OCU, connecting on 8-of-11 attempts from behind the arc and 9-of-12 from the floor to tie her campaign-high of 26 points. With her eight treys against OCU, Oliver moved into a tie for ninth all-time in NCAA Division II history with 328 career three-pointers … Tusculum extended its winning streak to six games with its 99-80 victory over Oakland City, as Coach Missy Tiber notched her 150th career win … The Pioneers shot over 50 percent from the floor for the third consecutive game and the fifth time this season, as five players scored in double figures … Tusculum scored over 90 points in its third straight game against Oakland City, which also marks the sixth 90-point night for the Pioneers this season … The black and orange won its seventh straight game with a 75-57 win over Lewis on Wednesday, led by Nikki Van Dine's season-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting … Gunn and Stephany Neptune each scored in double figures for the third consecutive game with 13 points apiece. Neptune finished the night 5-for-5 from the floor, and hauled down five rebounds to mark her 46th consecutive game with at least five boards … Gunn dished out a game-high seven assists to notch her ninth contest with five or more helpers this season … The Pioneers return to the court on Jan. 3, 2009 when they host Lenoir-Rhyne University to resume South Atlantic Conference play.
WINGATE - The Wingate University women's basketball team had a big week last week, picking up three victories in four days. Wingate is the number 25 team in the USA TODAY ESPN NCAA Division II top 25 women's basketball poll (Dec. 16 edition). The Bulldogs enter the Christmas holidays 8-2 overall. Wingate will face Georgia College & State University Monday, Dec. 29 in the Craig Massee Real Estate Classic in Milledgeville, Ga. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ... On Saturday afternoon, Wingate defeated Columbus State University 76-59 on day two of the 2008 AASU/Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Classic, hosted by Armstrong Atlantic State University. The CSU Cougars (7-3 overall) saw a seven-game winning streak end Saturday ... In the CSU contest, freshman guard/forward Kurie Washington led Wingate with 13 points. Bulldog senior guard Anna Atkinson contributed 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Stefani Shuey posted 10 markers. Shuey was one of three Bulldogs with six rebounds Saturday ... For the second straight day, Wingate bolted to a big halftime lead. On Saturday, the Bulldogs led 44-25 at intermission. Atkinson and Washington led the way with eight points each in the first half. Washington and senior guard Brittany West hit two three-point field goals each in the opening frame ... Wingate kept the lead in double digits in the second half. A CSU free throw cut the Cougar deficit to 48-38 with 13:20 remaining in the contest. The charity toss ended an 11-2 Columbus State flurry. The Cougars would get no closer the rest of the way ... Washington hit a jumper, sophomore guard/forward CC Brooks hit four free throws and Washington converted two charity tries as the Bulldogs scored eight unanswered points to push their advantage to 56-38 with 11:09 to play. Columbus State pulled within 11 in the waning moments, but could not cut the deficit below double figures ... Wingate finished the night shooting 37.7 percent from the floor (23-of-61). The Bulldogs hoisted 24 three-point field goal attempts, converting seven (29.2 percent). Wingate swished 23-of-29 free throws, hitting 79.3 percent from the foul line. Columbus State shot 36.1 percent from the field (22-of-61) ... For the fifth consecutive game, the Wingate bench outscored its opponent's reserves. Against Columbus State, the Bulldog bench tallied 40 points. The Cougar substitutes recorded 27 markers ... The Wingate University women's basketball team scored the first 14 points of the game, building a 23-point halftime lead on the way to a 73-61 road victory over the Pirates of Armstrong Atlantic State University Friday night in Alumni Arena on the AASU campus ... Atkinson led the way for the Bulldogs with 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Brooks added 12 points and three steals. Sophomore forward Jessy Keitt contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, while junior center Stacie Rhodes had nine points and five boards ... The Bulldogs shot 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from the field Friday, while hitting four-of-nine shots from beyond the arc. Wingate scored 32 points from 26 AASU turnovers. The Bulldogs racked up 14 steals, while the Wingate bench outscored the Armstrong Atlantic reserves 37-5 ... Wingate used a 21-3 second half run to take control of the game Wednesday, posting an 84-77 victory over Anderson (S.C.) University at the Abney Center on the AU campus ... Wingate trailed 55-49 with 12:51 remaining before going on the decisive run. Relentless pressure by the Bulldogs forced 33 Anderson turnovers. Wingate converted the Anderson miscues into 42 points ... Two three-point goals each by Atkinson and freshman guard Stephanie Whitenack helped fuel the Wingate run. The long-distance hoops helped the Bulldogs turn a one-point deficit into a nine-point advantage in a 90-second span. A layup by Shuey with 3:03 remaining gave Wingate an 80-67 bulge, its largest lead of the contest ... The deeper Wingate bench outscored the Anderson bench 38-14. Wingate was led by Whitenack, who tallied a career-high 18 points in a reserve role. Atkinson tallied 16, Shuey scored 13 and West and Brooks scored 11 each ... Wingate won the battle of the boards for the fifth time this season on Saturday against Columbus State. Last season, the Bulldogs took the rebounding title only eight times in 34 games. Wingate compiled a 26-8 overall record in 2007-08, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the third time in school history. South Atlantic Conference women's basketball teams hold a 13-6 record against Peach Belt Conference schools this season. Both Columbus State and Armstrong Atlantic State are PBC schools.