Weekly Women’s Basketball Notes, January 5, 2009

Women's basketball notes and game recaps for week ending January 4, 2009.

BREVARD - The Brevard College women's basketball team went 1-1 on the week improving to 3-6 on the season. The Tornados traveled to Bristol, Va. and defeated Virginia Intermont College on Tuesday, December 30th, 66-59, but fell at home to Mars Hill College on Saturday, January 3rd, 63-46 … Against Virginia Intermont, Brevard jumped out to a 26-5 lead on the strength of their defense as the Tornados held the Lady Cobras scoreless for almost seven minutes while going on a 21-0 run. Virginia Intermont would bring the game back within single digits just before halftime, before Samantha Winn put in a layup with seconds left in the clock to put the lead back to 11 as the Tornados headed to the locker room with a 35-24 lead. In the second half, the Lady Cobras continued to rally, bringing the game back within single digits, but were constantly rebuffed by three-pointers by Holli Flippo and Winn. Brevard's lead would shrink to four points with 30 seconds left in the game. However, Anna Schlobohm was able to convert three free throws as the Tornados held on for the win, 66-59 … Whitaker led the Tornados in recording her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Schlobohm scored 12 points for the game, and Wharton scored double figures for the first time this season with 11 points … In the game against Mars Hill, The Lions went up by as many as 22 points in the second half, but Schlobohm did her best to keep the Tornados in the game, recording nine of her game-high 17 points to keep pace with Mars Hill. However, the Tornados fell short in their comeback as they fell, 63-46 … Schlobohm led all scorers in the game with 17 points, while Samantha Winn recorded nine points and eight rebounds … Brevard faces a harrowing schedule with six games in next two weeks. The Tornados are at home on Monday, January 5th, as they host Montreat College with a tip-off time scheduled for 6 p.m. On Wednesday, January 7th, the Tornados go on the road to Hickory, N.C. to take on Lenoir-Rhyne College with a start time at 6 p.m. Then, Brevard ends their week Saturday, January 10th back in Boshamer Gymnasium as they host Lincoln Memorial with game time slated for 2 p.m.

CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles turned in an 0-1 week with a 69-61 loss at Newberry on Saturday…C-N is now 9-3 on the year and 1-1 in South Atlantic Conference play…Junior Mandy Mendenhall (Kingston Springs, Tenn.)led the Lady Eagles with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting…She added a team-high six steals…Junior forward Shari Buford (Hampton, Ga.) played solid basketball, earning nine points and four rebounds…The Lady Eagles jumped to a 15-10 at the 12 minute mark of the first half, before struggling to just 16 points over the next 20 minutes of play…C-N trailed by as many as 17 points before cutting the lead to 66-61 in the final minute…Tykira McDaniel (Griffin, Ga.) had seven second-half points to lead the rally…Through 12 games, the Lady Eagles are averaging 82.3 points per game, and are +8.8 points per game in scoring margin, allowing 73.5 ppg…Junior Ashley Kyle leads C-N in scoring, pouring in 14.6 points per game…Buford is second at 12.2 ppg…She is also averaging a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game…Carson-Newman hits the road Wednesday to play UNC Asheville at 7 p.m…C-N is back in Holt Fieldhouse on Saturday night to play host to Mars Hill…Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

CATAWBA - The Lady Indians made it four straight wins as they returned from the holiday break to record a 93-65 win over Belmont Abbey ... An early 10-0 run erased a 6-2 deficit and Catawba never trailed over the final 35 minutes ... Belmont Abbey reduced an eight-point deficit to three at the break, but Brooke Whitley put Catawba up by 10 with 12 minutes left and the Crusaders never closed to single digits the rest of the way ... the basket came during a 14-1 run that iced the issue ... The Lady Indians shot 52 percent for the game and held BAC to just 41 percent and a mere 36 percent in the second half ... Catawba also converted 29 Crusader turnovers into 39 points while allowing just seven off its 14 miscues ... Brittany Higgins and Dana Hicks each had 15 to pace Catawba ... Cameron Clark added 14 points and dished out eight assists ... Whitley rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points ... Higgins is one of five players averaging in double figures at 13 per outing ... Hicks, who has played three games, is hitting for 12.3 points and grabbing seven boards ... Catawba is a -7 in rebounding margin on the year, but since Hicks joined the roster, the Lady Indians are nearly +4 in margin ... Pamela Muldrow is averaging 12 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest with Whitley and Maggie Sullivan adding just over 10 a game ... The Lady Indians are a +10 in turnover margin on the season ... Catawba recorded just 215 steals last season, but have already piled up 179 in a dozen games this year ... The Lady Indians return to league play at Wingate on Wednesday and host Tusculum on Saturday afternoon.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University women's basketball team (11-2, 1-1) saw its nine-game winning streak snapped last Saturday against Tusuclum, 79-72, at Pioneer Arena in Greeneville, Tenn. … The Pioneers' were paced by Jasmine Gunn with 24 points on nine-of-13 shooting while Bear junior guard Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va.) scored a team-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and five steals despite the loss … With the score tied at 72 with 1:49 remaining, Gunn hit a pair of free throws that proved to be the game-winners as the Pioneers scored the final seven points en route to the win … Lenoir-Rhyne won a pair of home games earlier in the week, defeating Queens (69-46) and St. Paul's (82-60) on Tuesday (December 30) and Wednesday (December 31) … Against the Royals, freshman guard Cameron Sealey (Gastonia, N.C.) and junior center Denise Moore (Newport News, Va.) each scored 11 points and L-R's defense limited the Royals to just 36 percent (17-of-47) shooting for the game … Senior guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) scored 23 points on nine-of-10 shooting in Lenoir-Rhyne's win over St. Paul's … Again, L-R's defense was critical, limiting St. Paul's to just 31 percent (20-of-64) in field goal attempts while the Bears connected on 22-of-25 free throws (88 percent) … Holt is just 46 points away from becoming the 14th player in school history to school to score 1,000 points … Lenoir-Rhyne's nine-game winning streak was its longest since the 1980-81 season when it ran off 12 straight while the 11-1 start was the best in 29 years … Lenoir-Rhyne hosts a pair of South Atlantic Conference games this week against Brevard (Wednesday at 6 p.m.) and Newberry (Saturday at 6 p.m.) … L-R leads the all-time series with both Brevard (4-0) and Newberry (19-11).

LINCOLN MEMORIAL - It was a tale of two halves as the Lincoln Memorial University women's basketball team fell to host and former Gulf South Conference rival North Alabama 83-77 in the opening round of the Mariott Holiday Classic on Monday … UNA (7-6) came out of the gate quickly to go up 8-0 but then the Lady Railsplitters answered with a 19-3 run to take the 19-11 lead with 11:29 to go in the half off a lay-up by Cena Nasiloski. The Lady Lions would cut the lead to one with 1:34 to go before halftime but a basket by Andi Winney and free throws by Whitney Vannoy gave LMU the 40-34 lead at halftime … Much like the first half, UNA started out strongly and tied the game at 43-43 with 18:05 to go. After three lead changes and four ties UNA took the lead for good with 7:23 to go and held on for the 83-77 win. Rebounding was key for UNA in this second half as they outrebounded LMU 20-9 in the second half … For the game the teams finished tied with 34 rebounds apiece … LMU (5-5) was led by Stephanie Wagner with 16 points. Dayshalee Salaman added in 14 and Winney scored ten. Nasiloski led LMU on the boards with eight on the evening … The LMU women dropped their second game in as many nights as they fell to Alabama-Huntsville 83-76 in the Mariott Holiday Classic Tuesday afternoon. The game was close as there were 3 ties and 14 lead changes but the Lady Chargers pulled away late to take the seven point victory … LMU (5-6) was led by Amberly O'Dell's career-high 25 points, including seven three-pointers. Stephanie Wagner had 12 points and Dayshalee Salaman scored 10 … The Lady Railsplitter basketball team lost a heartbreaker to No. 25 Wingate University on Saturday night by the final of 73-72 to fall to 5-7 overall and 0-2 in South Atlantic Conference play … The Bulldogs extended their lead to as many as 14 points in the second half with 18:34 to play before the Lady Railsplitters whittled the deficit back and took the lead by two with 9:53 to play. While the two teams battled down the stretch and the Lady Railsplitters did have an opportunity to win the game on a last second shot, victory wasn't meant to be for the LMU women and Wingate escaped with a narrow 73-72 win … The Bulldogs' Anna Atkinson led all scorers with 22 points and pulled a game-high nine rebounds, while handing out an amazing 12 assists. Teammate Sarah Rosser did most of her offensive damage to LMU in the first half and ended the game with 19 points, while Kurie Washington and CC Brooks both scored 10 points on the night … LMU was led by the perimeter shooting of transfer guard Amberly O'Dell who was 5-9 from three point range and 3-3 at the free throw line to finish the night with 17 points. Lady Railsplitter sophomore Andi Winney chipped in another 15 inside the paint, while freshman point guard Dayshalee Salaman added 14 along with seven assists and sophomore Megan Davis scored 11 … Now 0-2 in league play, the Lady Railsplitters will have possibly their toughest game of the year Wednesday night when they play host to in-state rival Tusculum College. The Lady Pioneers will enter the Tex Turner Arena boasting an 11-1 overall record and a 1-0 conference mark. Wednesday's tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.

MARS HILL - Mars Hill went 2-0 in the previous week of play. The Lions defeated Belmont Abbey 83-63 and opened SAC play with a win over Brevard 63-46 to improve to 8-4, 1-0 SAC this season ... Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) scored a game high 25 points to lead Mars Hill past Belmont Abbey College. Young added seven assists and three rebounds while executing perfectly at the foul line hitting 10-of-10 attempts. Shamia Terry (Greenville, S.C.) followed with 16 points and a game high seven boards. Bria Smith (Marietta, Ga.) added 15 points while Ariel Okunowo (Decatur, Ga.) rounded out the double digit scorers with 11 ... Smith hit a 3-pointer with 11:22 left in the first half and the Lions never trailed again. MHC led by as many as 13 points in the opening frame after Okunowo hit a shot from behind the arc with 1:20 left in the first half. The Lions enjoyed a 38-30 lead at the break ... The Crusaders cut the Lions' advantage to eight points on two occasions in the second half but that was as close as they would get. The Lions' largest lead of 22 points (81-59) came with 32 ticks left in regulation after Smith converted a pair of foul shots ... MHC shot well from the floor connecting on 60.5 percent (26-43) while holding Belmont Abbey to convert on only 37.3 percent (22-59) of their field goal attempts. The Lions also hit 8-12 of their 3-point shots and 79.3 percent (23-29) of their free throws. The Crusaders out rebounded MHC, 34-38. MHC scored 24 points off 19 Belmont Abbey miscues and scored 11 points off the break ... Jocelyn Williams (Greensboro, N.C.) posted her second double-double of the season and Mars Hill opened conference play with a convincing 63-46 victory over Brevard Saturday afternoon. The Lions improve to 8-4, 1-0 in the SAC. Mars Hill has won three straight conference openers ... A three-pointer from Ariel Okunowo (Decatur, Ga.) gave the Lions a 15-6 lead at the 13:22 mark in the first half. Mars Hill increased its advantage to 24-14 with 7:11 remaining in the first half off a layup by Taylor Deal (Catawba, N.C.). The Lions held their largest lead of the period, 28-16, off a jumper from the top of the key by Jessica Blanford (Concord, N.C.) ... Mars Hill held a 31-20 advantage at intermission. Both teams were sluggish in the first half from the field. The Lions hit only 11-32 shots. The Tornados converted only 8-27 field goals and were 2-13 from behind the arc ... A Megan Clevenger (Parrottsville, Tenn.) layup at the 19:24 mark gave Mars Hill a 13 point lead, 33-20. Brevard cut the deficit to 11 points on the next possession off a layup by Anna Schlobohm (Greensboro, N.C.) but the Tornados would not get any closer. The Lions held a double-digit lead during the entire second half and increased the margin to as much as 22 points, 50-28, off a pair of free throws from Williams ... Williams finished the game with season highs in points (14) and rebounds (11). Shamia Terry (Greenville, S.C.) also recorded a double-double for Mars Hill with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Okunowo came off the bench to give the Lions a boost with 10 points ... Mars Hill returns to action against Newberry on January 7. Tip-time inside Stanford Arena is set for 6 p.m.

NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's basketball team went 1-2 this past week, losing to UNC Pembroke and Georgia College and State, but finished the week strong with a win over Carson-Newman... They are now both undefeated at home and in the SAC… The team started off the week at the Craig Massee Real Estate Classic but lost a tight game to UNC Pembroke, 65-63… Monica Alexander (Norcross, Ga.) was the leading scorer for the scarlet and gray with a game high 22 points... That total pushed her over the 1,000 point milestone, putting her at 1,017 points in her career… She also tied with Helen McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) for the rebound lead with eight… This season the scarlet and gray have been a dominant team from outside the arc… Unfortunately they struggled from three-point range against UNCP and only sank 4-of-22 shots from outside... They also lost the turnover battle, committing 19 TO's to the Braves' 17… Newberry finished the Classic by losing to the host team, GCSU, by the score of 68-42… McKinney was the leading scorer for Newberry with 19 points... She shot 6-for-17 from the floor and pulled down nine rebounds... The leading rebounder for the scarlet and gray was Janine Ward (Tallevast, Fla.) with a new career high of 11 rebounds… Newberry had one of their worst shooting days of the season, shooting 23 percent from the floor, 19 percent from behind the arc, and 45 percent from the free throw line… The team also committed 19 turnovers for the second time in a row… The scarlet and gray bounced back this past Saturday by defeating Carson-Newman at home, 69-61… They are now 5-0 this season on their home floor… McKinney (Owensboro, Ky.) led the way for the scarlet and gray with a team high 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field and 3-for-7 shooting from three-point range… She also chipped in eight boards and two assists. Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) also played well but fell a rebound short of a double-double with a game high nine rebounds and 15 points... Ward led her team in assists with five and also grabbed seven rebounds… Newberry shot poorly from downtown on their recent road trip but returned to form on Saturday... They sank seven three-pointers for the day on 53.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc... The team also stepped up their hustle by pulling down 17 offensive rebounds… The Eagles only managed to pull down four offensive boards and earned zero second chance points… With the win, the Newberry College women's basketball team improves to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in the SAC... They will hit the road once again on Wednesday to take on Mars Hill at 6 p.m... They will return home on January 14 in a game against Lincoln Memorial at 6 p.m.

TUSCULUM - The No. 13 Tusculum women's basketball team posted its eighth consecutive victory with a 79-72 win over Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday, improving its record to 11-1 overall and 2-0 in the South Atlantic Conference … Jasmine Gunn scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting as three Pioneers registered 15 or more points in the contest. The 24-point showing marked Gunn's fourth consecutive double digit scoring effort as the sophomore guard currently leads the Pioneers with 14.8 points per game … Stephany Neptune and Nikki Van Dine each chipped in 15 points, as Neptune hauled down six rebounds to mark her 47th straight game with five or more boards … Tusculum has shot the ball well over its last five games, posting a field goal percentage of at least 48 percent during that span … The Pioneers enter the week leading the conference in both scoring offense averaging 85.8 points per game, and are on pace to post the third-highest scoring average in school history. Tusculum is also leading the way in the SAC scoring margin race, outscoring its opponents by 22.8 points per game thus far … The Pioneers are a perfect 11-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points, and have eclipsed the 90-point barrier in six games thus far … Tusculum is on the road for a pair of SAC games this week, as the Pioneers will face Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday in Harrogate, Tenn. before making the trip to Salisbury, N.C. for a matchup with Catawba on Saturday.

WINGATE - Wingate University junior forward Sarah Rosser hit an inside hoop with 4.7 seconds to play, giving the number 25 Bulldogs a 73-72 South Atlantic Conference women's basketball victory over Lincoln Memorial University Saturday night in Tex Turner Arena ... With the victory, Wingate improves to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in the SAC. The Bulldogs host Catawba College Wednesday night at 6 p.m. The Wingate-Catawba contest will be Wingate's first home game since Dec. 3, 2008. The Bulldogs have won 24 games in a row at home, dating to the 2006-07 season ... Senior point guard Anna Atkinson led the way for the Bulldogs with season-high totals of 22 points and 12 assists. She assisted Rosser on the winning basket. Atkinson barely missed her first career triple-double with nine rebounds. The 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® added six steals ... Rosser added a career-high 19 points for the visitors. Rosser hit eight-of-nine field goals Saturday, including one-of-two from three-point land. Sophomore guard CC Brooks and freshman guard/forward Kurie Washington contributed 10 points each for Wingate ... The Bulldogs led 47-33 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Washington with 18:34 remaining in the contest. The 14-point bulge was Wingate's largest lead of the evening ... Wingate kept the lead above nine points for the next 10 minutes. A Rosser jumper made the score 65-55 Bulldogs with 7:56 to play. Lincoln Memorial answered with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 65-64 on a three-point field goal at the 4:25 mark ... Atkinson converted three free throws on Wingate's next possession to push the lead back to four points. Bulldog senior guard Brittany West traded baskets to keep the Wingate lead at four points. LMU responded with another flurry to take its first lead of the second half ... The Railsplitters scored six unanswered points to take a 72-70 lead on a traditional three-point play with 1:09 left in regulation. On Wingate's next trip down the floor, Washington was fouled in the act of shooting. Washington converted one-of-two free throws to cut the Wingate deficit to one point ... LMU missed a jumper on the other end, giving Wingate the ball back with 24 ticks remaining on the clock. After two time-outs, the Bulldogs ran a perfect in-bounds play to take the victory. The Railsplitters had one last chance, but could not capitalize at the buzzer ... Wingate shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the second half (14-of-26). On the evening, the Bulldogs hit 46.2 percent of their field goals (30-of-65). Wingate scored 44 points in the paint, compared to 26 inside markers for LMU ... The Wingate University women's basketball team ended 2008 on a positive note Tuesday afternoon, defeating UNC Pembroke 60-51 in the Craig Massee Real Estate Classic, hosted by Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville ... The number 25 Bulldogs rode the all-around play of Atkinson, who contributed 19 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in the winning effort. Atkinson also committed no turnovers in her 36 minutes of playing time ... Washington was the only other Bulldog in double figures. Washington scored 12 points and also notched six rebounds. Jessy Keitt and Stefani Shuey each scored eight points off the bench to aid the Bulldog cause Tuesday ... The 25th-ranked Bulldogs fell to the Bobcats of GC&SU 63-55 in women's basketball action Monday evening in the 2008 Craig Massee Real Estate Classic. Rosser came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs with 14 points. She pulled down five rebounds. Brooks added eight points for the Bulldogs.