Weekly SAC Women’s Basketball Notes - Nov. 27

Women's basketball game recaps and notes for week ending November 26, 2006.

CARSON-NEWMAN - Emily Mason recorded her second double-double of the season as the Lady Eagles defeated Livingstone, 76-46 to earn their fourth win of the season. … Tashea Ledbetter led Carson-Newman with 14 points in the Livingstone win. Lindsey Eggleston came off the bench to toss in a dozen points. In the tournament opener vs. Francis Marion, freshman Casha Foster (Crossville, TN) had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles to a 69-52 win over Francis Marion. Carson-Newman never trailed in the contest and led 36-28 at halftime. Stefanie Holbrook had 10 points off the bench, helping the Carson-Newman reserves outscore their Francis Marion counterparts 26-11.

CATAWBA - The Catawba women picked up three wins last week to extend their winning streak to four games since a season-opening loss ... The ladies earned a 71-53 win at St. Augustine's then won both games at the Comfort Suites Classic at Goodman Gym, topping Livingstone 84-61 and Francis Marion 85-70 ... Junior Hillary Hampton led Catawba over St. Augustine's with a career-high 20 points ... She also broke a school record by hitting six three-pointers without a miss in the contest ... Four others also reached double-digits with Brittany Higgins scoring 12 points with Cameron Clark, Ne'Keithia Howard and Corin Muldrow all coming off the bench to score 10 points ... Catawba rallied from an early 25-12 deficit to defeat Livingstone ... Hampton fired in 15 points, while Andrell Baxter added a career-best 14 in the win ... Higgins again added 12 points with Muldrow following with 10 ... Muldrow added seven rebounds with five assists and three steals as Catawba helped force 30 Livingstone turnovers ... Catawba led for the final 30 minutes in its win over Francis Marion ... Higgins scored a career-high 22 points, hitting on 9-of-16 shots ... Muldrow canned 6-of-8 shots in scoring 14 points and also blocked two shots ... Sicilia LoSauro added 13 points and Howard 11 ... The ladies held a 41-35 edge on the boards and had only 11 turnovers to 18 for FMU ... Gia Colombo dished out nine assists in each game of the tournament ... Higgins and Hampton were named to the All-Classic team with Muldrow claiming MVP honors ... Hampton has come off the bench in four of five games and leads the team in scoring at a 12.6 clip ... She has canned a dozen three-pointers and is hitting 55 percent from the field ... Higgins also averages double figures at 11.2 points per game ... Howard and Cristi Bartlett share rebounding honors at 5.4 a contest, while Colombo has dished out nearly seven assists per contest and has 14 steals ... Catawba is shooting 46 percent from the field this season and is making 48 percent (26-of-54) from three-point range ... The ladies are virtually even in rebounding with its opponents while holding almost a +6 edge in turnover margin ... Catawba's bench accounted for 47 points per game over the three wins last week ... The ladies host a pair of games this week, playing Queens on Tuesday and St. Paul's on Saturday.

LENOIR-RHYNE - After winning its first two games of the year on the road to start the 2006-07 season, the Lenoir-Rhyne women's basketball team (2-1) suffered its first loss of the year in its home opener to Armstrong Atlantic State (2-0), 85-81, last Tuesday night at Shuford Gymnasium in Hickory, N.C. … The Bears rolled off 16 straight points early in the game and built a 27-12 lead out of the gate … However, the Lady Pirates went on an extended rally and built a 12-point advantage, 74-62, but the Bears rallied to cut the deficit to 76-74 on a field goal by freshman Lauren Casey (Raleigh, N.C.) … However, Armstrong Atlantic State put the contest away with a three-point play and five free throws in the final 1:27 sealed the win for the Lady Pirates … Freshman guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) led Lenoir-Rhyne with 20 points while freshman guard Meredith Webster (High Point, N.C.) came off the bench to score 13 points with three treys … Lenoir-Rhyne next hosts Brevard on Saturday at 6 p.m. … The two teams met earlier this year with the Bears prevailing in the season opener, 78-66, at the Eagle Club Classic in Jefferson City, Tenn. … That was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL - The LMU women's team had to go to overtime to pull out the 80-69 win over USC Upstate on Nov. 21 ... The Lady Railsplitters pulled out to an eleven point lead early in the game with a lay-up by Laura Elliot at the 10:35 mark of the half. Upstate chipped away at the lead trailed only by four at the half, 36-32. The second half saw five ties and four lead changes until a free throw by LMU's Andi Winney gave LMU the 65-64 lead with five seconds to go ... Upstate pushed the ball down the court and got the ball to Emily Lovik on the perimeter for a three with 0.2 seconds to go which was no good. However, LMU's Wisemane Alcema fouled Lovik on the play and she went to the line for three free throws with 0.2 on the clock. Lovik missed the first two and nailed the third to send the game to overtime ... In the overtime period LMU turned up the defensive pressure and hit their free throws to grab the 80-69 win ... LMU was led by junior Heather Benton with 22 points. Other Lady Railsplitters in double figures were seniors Betsy Bowser with 17 and Madeline Richards with 15 points ... Both the women's and the men's teams will host Brevard on Nov. 28 and the women will play at Lees-McRae on the 30th.

MARS HILL - Mars Hill played only one game last week. Allison Schafer (Advance, NC) hit a pair of foul shots with four ticks left in regulation to lift the Lions over Johnson C. Smith University Tuesday night at Brayboy Gymnasium. The Lions improved to 2-1 on the season. MHC leads the series against JCSU, 3-2 ... JCSU's Rochelle Bodie tied the contest for the eighth time in the game at 64-all after converting 1-of-2 free throws with 31 seconds on the clock. Head coach Jennifer Nance called a 30-second timeout with 15 seconds left in regulation to set up the final play of the game. With six seconds remaining, Abby DeBusk's (New Tazewell, TN) shot attempt was off the mark but Schafer was there to pull down the rebound and receive a foul from Brittany Sumpter in the process. Schafer then calmly sank the ensuing shots at the charity stripe to seal the win ... The first half started out very closely played. Neither team led by more than three points until MHC went on a 23-10 lead starting at the 11:56 mark of the first frame to take a 10-point advantage with 3:10 left in the first half after Heather Hahn (Mishawaka, IN) hit a 15-foot jumper. JCSU scored six unanswered points to close out the first half and send the teams into the locker room at the intermission with the Lions holding a four-point (33-29) advantage ... The Lions held a single digit lead for the first 15 minutes of the second half before JCSU took a one-point lead (59-58) with 4:08 left in the contest after Sumpter converted a pair of free throws. Ariel Okunowo (Decatur, GA) gave the Lions a one-point lead (60-59) at the 3:40 mark after getting fouled and sinking two foul shots and MHC would not trail again ... Schafer led all scorers with 20 points followed by Laura Snider (Old Fort, NC) who came off the bench to add 14 hitting four 3-pointers. DeBusk added eight points, nine rebounds and six assists ... MHC will host Brevard this week on Thursday night.

NEWBERRY - Newberry played two games over the week of Thanksgiving, winning both by a combined margin of 67 point ... On Tuesday, November 21, the Lady Indians traveled to Spartanburg, S.C. for a match with the All-Stars of Converse College. The scarlet and gray featured four scorers in double-digits in the 77-41 victory. The high-powered duo of junior forward Tonique Frasier and sophomore forward Carnicha Bellinger each totaled 14 points and they combined for 13 rebounds in 28 minutes of play each ... Freshman Brennen Long came off the bench to score 12, going 6-6 at the free throw line. Junior guard Tosha Goodman was the fourth Lady Indian with double-digits in points with 10. Juniors Monica Alexander and Ashlee Wright each dished out four assists ... On Saturday, the Lady Indians hosted Coker College. The Lady Cobras actually led in the early going, 13-12, before Newberry closed out the final 11 minutes with a 26-5 run and a 38-18 lead ... The Lady Indians barraged the Lady Cobras with nearly 42 percent shooting from the field and charged to a 65-34. Carnicha Bellinger recorded a double-double with 10 points and 14 boards while both Monica Alexander and Tonique Frasier each totaled 13 points. Once again there was a fourth Lady Indian in double-digits as Ashlee Wright finished with 11 ... The Lady Indians have two games this week hosting Claflin College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Then Newberry matches up with Augusta State University on Thursday for a 6 p.m. start. Both games will be held at Eleazer Arena.

PRESBYTERIAN - Presbyterian played in only one contest last week, falling 66-57 to Francis Marion in Florence last Tuesday … The loss snapped a season-best two-game winning streak for the Lady Blue Hose … PC is now 2-2 on the season … Presbyterian's Morgan Johnson tallied her third double-digit rebounding game in the loss … The Marietta, Ga. native has not secured less than nine rebounds in a game in the young season … Presbyterian was led in the loss in the scoring column by a trio of players in Amy Jones, Bridget Takach and Kerianne Blease … Jones led all Lady Blue Hose scorers with 16 points. The guard also collected a team-best four assists and three steals … Takach finished the contest with 13 points, with nine of the points scored from beyond the three-point line … The Chapin High School product was 3-for-4 on her three-point attempts on the night … Blease concluded the game with 11 points in 22 minutes on the court … The Saluda, S.C. native had four rebounds.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum women's basketball team is off to a 5-0 start, its best beginning to a season since 1994-95 when that team won its first six outings en route to a 27-7 record and a conference championship ... TC went 3-0 during the week, including Tuesday's 91-74 home win over North Greenville. Ashli Oliver scored a career-high 27 points, including a school and SAC record nine 3-pointers against NGU. Brooke Underwood posted her third consecutive double-double with 14 points and 13 assists, while Kat Spears and Diana Neves added 16 and 11 points, respectively ... In its first road game of the year, the Pioneers had to rally from a 16-point second half deficit to defeat host West Virginia State University 77-72 in the opening game of the WVSU Kanawha City Red Roof Classic. TC trailed 50-34 with 15:29 remaining in the game and went on a 12-0 run in the final 4:21 to mount the comeback. TC's Shantae Shank led the Pioneers with a career-high 16 points, while Lindsay Barta tallied 13 points, going 6-for-6 from the floor. Neves came off the bench with 11 points, while Carlie Lakey accounted for six points and a game-high 11 rebounds ... Tusculum tied the game at 72-72 with 2:19 left when Oliver canned a three-pointer. TC took the lead at the 1:41 mark as Chassity Martin hit one of two free throws as she finished with 10 points in the contest. Underwood posted double-digit assists for a fourth straight game, dishing out 10 assists to go along with her six points, five rebounds and five steals ... Oliver scored 18 points as Tusculum remained undefeated on the season with Saturday's 68-42 win over Davis and Elkins College at the Red Roof Inn Classic. Oliver shot 7-for-10 from the field, while making four 3-pointers. Kat Spears added 11 points and five blocked shots, one shy of a school record. The 13 blocks by Tusculum smashed the previous school single-game team record of nine achieved on three occasions. Carlie Lakey posted nine points and 11 rebounds in the Tusculum victory ... TC continues its road swing in West Virginia with a pair of games in the Mountain State this week. Tusculum will be at Concord University on Tuesday and will be at Bluefield State College on Thursday.

WINGATE - WThe Wingate University women's basketball team played three games last week, completing the stretch with a 2-1 record. The Bulldogs improve to 4-1 on the season ... Wingate dropped a tough 70-66 decision at Claflin University Tuesday night. Five Panthers hit double figures in the home victory. Wingate junior guard Kate Edwards came off the bench to hit five three-point field goals against CU. The Scotland High product topped the Bulldog scoring charts with 17 points. Both Anna Atkinson and Kerri Metzker added 10 points each ... Atkinson recorded a double-double for the visitors, as she dished out a career-high 11 assists to go with her 10 points. The McDowell High graduate barely missed a triple-double, as she hauled in eight rebounds against Claflin ... Wingate spoiled the season and home opener for Elizabeth City State University Friday afternoon, taking a 75-65 NCAA Division II victory at the RL Vaughan Center. The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 overall with the road win ... Wingate senior guard Tanetra Barrett led the Bulldogs with 20 points at ECSU. The 2006 Daktronics, Inc., NCAA Division II first team All-America selection hit 14-of-15 free throws for the visitors. Wingate converted 30-of-39 charity tosses Friday. Bulldog senior forward/center Emily Paffrath contributed 12 markers for the victors ... The Bulldogs pulled away late, holding the Vikings scoreless for the final 4:08 of the contest. The Bulldogs finished with a 10-0 run during the final four minutes, thanks to eight-of-10 free throws and a big lay-up by senior forward Lakin Byer with 1:44 to play. Byer's basket put Wingate up 71-65 ... The Vikings were zero-for-seven from the floor in the final four minutes. Wingate outscored ECSU 35-23 in the second half after trailing the hosts 42-40 at intermission. The Bulldogs hit 51.9 percent of their shots in the first frame (14-of-27) to stay in striking range ... "We played well in the first half," Wingate head coach Johnny Jacumin said. "We hit our free throws down the stretch. I was happy we won the battle of the boards." ... Wingate outrebounded ECSU 43-39. Five Bulldogs had five or more boards, led by sophomore point guard Anna Atkinson and her eight rebounds. The 2006 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year flirted with a triple-double for the second game in row, finishing the contest with nine points, eight rebounds and six assists ... Elizabeth City State's Celeste Trahan played only 26 minutes due to foul trouble. The leading rebounder in the NCAA Division II during her first two seasons as a Viking, Trahan managed only nine rebounds and four points against the Bulldogs. She averaged 19.5 points per game and 14.6 rebounds per game in 2005-06 ... Wingate defeated Virginia State University on Saturday afternoon in Daniel Gymnasium on the VSU campus. Barrett led the visitors with 24 points, shooting eight-for-11 from the field and making all eight of her free throw attempts. Wingate improved to 4-1 overall with the victory ... Barrett had much support at VSU, as Edwards recorded 16 markers during the contest. Edwards shot four-for-five from behind the three-point line. Paffrath and Atkinson both finished the game with 12 points. Paffrath also recorded three blocks on the afternoon ... Wingate University head coach Johnny Jacumin was pleased with how his team bounced back after a setback at Claflin Tuesday night. "We played very hard in both our games (since the Claflin loss)," Jacumin noted. "Both of these games (VSU and Elizabeth City State Friday) were regional games against tough CIAA opponents. We started our season with five road games…to go 4-1 during that stretch is pretty good." ... Barrett was held to single-digit scoring during the Claflin contest, breaking a streak of 34 consecutive games scoring in double figures. In the victories over Elizabeth City State (20 points) and Virginia State (24 points), Barrett has begun a new streak of double-figure scoring ... The Bulldogs will return home to host the 2006 Ortho Carolina Classic Friday and Saturday. Wingate will have a rematch with Claflin University on Friday, December 1 at 6 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. The Ortho Carolina Classic is a highlight for Bulldog fans each season ... Wingate and Carson-Newman will entertain Claflin and UNC Pembroke for two days of exciting NCAA action in Cuddy Arena on the Bulldog campus. Carson-Newman will battle UNC Pembroke Friday at 2 p.m. to open the weekend's festivities. The Eagles will face Claflin Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the Wingate women versus UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m.