Weekly Women’s Basketball Game Notes, December 10, 2007
Women's basketball game notes for week ending December 9, 2007
BREVARD - The Tornados split in their two games this week, moving them to 4-4 on the year ... On Thursday night, the Tornados picked up their fourth win of the season, a 69-59 road victory over Converse College ... The Tornados did not trail at all in the game, holding off Converse down the stretch, connecting on 23-of-28 from the free throw line for the game ... Sophomores Samantha Winn and Lindsay Thrift came up big on Thursday night, as Winn led BC with 17 points while Thrift had 16 points off the bench ... Seniors Holly Krogman and Courtney Brandon had 10 points apiece, while Krogman led the Tornados with five rebounds on the night ... On Saturday, the Tornados were able to overcome 17 first half turnovers to take a 31-26 lead into the halftime intermission over the visiting Lady Saints of Limestone College ... However, Limestone would hit up in the second half, as they hit 8-of-13 three-pointers to defeat the Tornados 73-63 ... The loss was the second straight home loss for BC ... Senior Holly Krogman once again led the Tornados with 23 points and seven rebounds, as she went 7-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe ... Fellow senior Courtney Brandon was the only other Tornado in double-figures as she had 12 points for the game ... Brevard College (4-4) will be off for exams and Christmas break and will not be in action again in the 2007 calendar year ... The Tornados will not return to action until Thursday, January 3, when they will play host to Virginia Intermont College at 6 p.m.
CARSON-NEWMAN - Sophomore forward Shari Buford scored 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles defeated Division III foe Maryville, 61-46 … The Lady Eagles took a five-point advantage into halftime after shooting 37 percent (13-of-35) from the field in the first half and dominated the second half. C-N scorched the nets with three treys and a 13-of-36 showing from the field in the second period … Angela Volentine and Ashley Tipton added 11 points apiece while Ashley Kyle, Emily Mason, and Tykira McDaniel posted six points each … Against Lees McRae, C-N shot 49 percent from the field and made eight of 17 three-pointers for their fourth straight win. Carson-Newman outrebounded Lees-McRae 52-26 in the game … Lindsey Eggleston led the Lady Eagles with 10 rebounds while Buford grabbed nine. McDaniel led all scorers with 14 points while Volentine and Tipton scored 12 points each. Nikki James scored a career-high 11 points while Buford posted 10 points … Kyle paced the Lady Eagle offense with six assists while McDaniel keyed the defense with five steals ... Against Anderson, the Lady Eagles led by as much as seven points in the second half. A Buford three-point play gave C-N a 50-43 lead with 12:55 remaining in the game … Ashley Tipton led all scorers with 23 points and was six-of-nine from three point range. Her six treys are one short of tying the Carson-Newman single game record. Buford added 17 points while Ashley Kyle and Mason added seven points each.
CATAWBA - The Lady Indians suffered a pair of losses in three games last week, including an 82-67 loss in their SAC opener at Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday ... Catawba cut a 17-point second-half deficit to just four with just under six minutes to play, but could not cut the gap closer ... The Bears converted five-of-seven free throws and got a putback on one of the misses to regain a 73-61 edge with 2:21 to go ... Brittany Higgins equaled her season-high with 18 points in the loss, while NeKeithia Howard posted 14 points and eight rebounds ... Hillary Hampton added 11 points off the bench ... Catawba was out-rebounded 40-27 ... At the Herb Sims Tournament at Bluefield State over the weekend, Catawba fell to Central State 66-64 in overtime then topped the host Rams 67-54 to snap its two-game slide ... The ladies held a 19-point lead over Central State in the opening minutes of the second half, but scored only 13 points over the final 17 minutes of regulation ... Catawba also made 16 of its 18 turnovers after halftime ... Howard scored 16 points with Higgins adding 15 ... Freshman Nisha Long had 10 assists and led the team with six rebounds ... Catawba saw Bluefield State rally from a 17-point deficit with 11 minutes left, but after having its lead cut to one with six minute to go, the Lady Indians shutout the Rams the rest of the game ... Sicilia LoSauro connected on six three-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points to pace Catawba ... Howard reached double figures with 17 points ... The Lady Indians held a big 50-32 edge on the glass ... Howard leads Catawba in scoring at 15.9 points a game and rebounding at 8.5 a contest ... LoSauro is also averaging double figures at 11 points per outing and leads the team with 18 three-point goals ... Long is dishing out 4.3 assists a game and averaging 6.5 points and four rebounds ... Catawba is idle this week before hosting St. Paul's on Dec. 18 in its final game before the break.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne College women's basketball team (6-0, 1-0) is off to its best start in three years after defeating Queens (68-45) and South Atlantic Conference-foe Catawba (82-67) on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, at home last week … Against Queens, the Bears limited the Royals to just 34 percent (16-of-47) shooting for the game and forced 32 turnovers in the win … L-R was led by sophomore guard Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) with a game-high 15 points while sophomore guard Jami Safrit (Hickory, N.C.) added 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win … L-R also led by as many as 25 points en route to the victory … Holt followed with a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) while redshirt freshman LaCourtney Rann (Charlotte, N.C.) came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points in Lenoir-Rhyne's resounding win over Catawba … Four players scored in double figures for the Bears as the squad held off a second-half Catawba Indian rally for the victory … Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Milledgeville, Ga., this weekend to take on Georgia College & State (Friday at 8 p.m.) and UNC Pembroke (Saturday at 2 p.m.) in the GCSU/Craig Massee Real Estate Classic … Lenoir-Rhyne leads the all-time series with Georgia College & State, 2-1, but trails UNC Pembroke by a 13-5 count.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL - In a game that see-sawed back and forth much of the contest and had 14 lead changes, the Lincoln Memorial University Lady Railsplitters used patience and ball control to emerge 69-67 winners over the Crusaders of North Greenville University on Thursday evening … The Lady Railsplitters came out strong in the opening minutes of the game, taking a 12-2 lead only 3:30 into the contest. Good perimeter shooting by several North Greenville players and the first half inside play of Amanda Milner kept the game close however, and Lincoln Memorial only held a narrow 32-28 lead at the intermission … After carrying the brunt of the offensive attack in the first half with 12 points, LMU freshman guard Stephanie Wagner (Elkhart, IN) got some help from several teammates in the final 20 minutes of play, including sophomore Andi Winney (Yorktown, IN) who finished the game with 15 points, seven of which came from the free throw line. Winney also went to war on the glass for the Lady Railsplitters, notching the double-double with 11 boards … Also answering the call offensively for LMU were freshman forward Megan Davis (Petersburg, IN) and senior point-guard Shawna Nicols (Milwaukee, WI). Davis scored 11 points and pulled eight rebounds, while Nicols added 10 along with five assists ... A late-game run by Oakland City University wasn't enough to force the Lady Railsplitters into relinquishing the lead in Saturday's 80-70 non-conference win over the Lady Oaks … After taking the lead with 7:09 remaining in the first half, the Lady Railsplitters carried a 10 point 45-35 lead into the intermission and extended the lead to 19 on two different occasions in the final 20 minutes of play before emerging with the 80-70 win … The victory didn't come without its hurdles however, as the Lady Oaks put together a run in the second half that cut the LMU lead to seven with only 1:29 to play. Still, the Lady Railsplitters made the most of their free throw opportunities down the stretch, hitting a perfect 16-16 for the game to come away with the 10 point win … Sophomore Andi Winney (Yorktown, IN) was a dominating force inside the paint, scoring 24 of her game-high 26 points in the first half. Freshman guard Stephanie Wagner (Elkhart, IN) also turned in another solid offensive performance by hitting 5-9 shots from the floor, including 3-4 from behind the three point line and 4-4 from the free throw line to finish the afternoon with 17 points … Lady Railsplitter junior guard Kara Harris (Alcoa, TN) came off the bench to score 11 second half points on 5-8 shooting from the field to contribute 14 points, while senior Heather Benton (Wooton, KY) added another 10 points and led LMU on the boards with nine rebounds … Now 4-3 on the year, the Lady Railsplitters will use most of the week to focus on fall semester final exams before preparing for next Saturday's non-conference road bout with North Georgia College & State University. The LMU and NGC&U women will tip-off at 2:00 p.m. in Dahlonega, Georgia.
MARS HILL - MHC played only one game last week. The Lions are now 4-1 on the season … The Lions' women's basketball team defeated North Greenville University, 91-69 Saturday afternoon in Stanford Arena. Solid shooting led MHC to the win. Ariel Okunowo (Decatur, GA) hit a layup with 17:05 left in the first half and MHC would never trail again … After missing their first nine shots in the game, NGU found themselves down 17 points (22-5) with 9:41 left in the opening period after Okunowo hit another shot in the lane. The Lions extended their advantage to 23 points (46-23) at halftime due to excellent shooting as MHC converted on 61.3 percent (19-31) of their field goal attempts in the first frame … MHC cruised in the second half as they maintained a 20+ point advantage in the final stanza. The Lions' biggest lead of 31 points (62-31) came at the 14:53 mark after Jersuha Clark (Dayton, OH) hit a pair of free throws … MHC scored 40 points in the paint, 33 points off NGU miscues, 18 off the break and received 37 points from their bench. The Lions out rebounded the Crusaders 37-31. The Lions ended the game converting on 54 percent (34-63) of their shots from the floor. NGU hit only 26.9 percent (7-26) of their first half field goal attempts … Allison Schafer (Advance, NC) led MHC with 20 points hitting eight of 13 attempts from the field. Okunowo added 15 points and four assists while Jessica Blanford (Concord, NC) tallied 13 points. Lindsay Roberts (Murphy, NC) rounded out the double-figure scorers for MHC with 10 points. Eboni Davis led NGU with 15 points and four boards while Nikki Wood added 14 points and five rebounds. Debbie Wyatt and Amanda Milner scored 10 points apiece … MHC will return to action on December 13 when they host Johnson C. Smith University. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Stanford Arena.
NEWBERRY - The Newberry College Lady Indians had a week of ups and downs, losing in their conference opener before returning home for a blowout win… The SAC slate started poorly for the Lady Indians, who gave up 30 turnovers in a 72-64 loss at Wingate… Despite a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double from Tonique Frasier, a better shooting percentage and a 42-35 advantage on the boards, the turnovers proved to be too much to overcome… Wingate led by as many as 12 in the first half, but Newberry was able to narrow the deficit to one point at halftime… The Lady Indians took a five-point lead early in the second half, but turned the ball over 15 times and were unable to pull out a win… Saturday saw the Lady Indians rebound with an 83-47 thrashing of visiting Allen University… Frasier scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in only 23 minutes of action… Tacarra Harris and Laura Marquardt each scored 11 points and Sade Coates netted 10… After a short break for finals, the Lady Indians host Benedict College at 4 p.m. Friday.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum women's basketball team went 3-0 last week, posting victories over Lees-McRae (85-56), King College (76-68) and Southern Indiana (74-69)… Tusculum (7-2) has is riding a four-game winning streak… In the win at Lees-McRae, junior Nikki Van Dine led the offense with 21 points as she tied her career-high hitting seven 3-pointers… Junior Ashli Oliver added 18 points with four beyond the three-point arc… Sophomore Stephany Neptune added a double-double with 12 rebounds and 12 points… Tusculum returned home to face in-state rival King… Neptune led the offense with 23 points and added eight rebounds in the victory… Oliver followed with 21 points and rookie Jasmine Parker had a career-high 11 assists… Tusculum ended the week with a five-point win at Southern Indiana in the first-ever meeting between the two squads... Neptune pulled down a career-best 18 rebounds to go along with her 14 points for her fifth double-double of the season… Junior Shantae Shank contributed a career-high 20 points, while Oliver added 14 and Van Dine and Jasmine Gunn both finished 10 points each… Neptune had a sensational week as she averaged 16.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game in her last three contests… She also shot 20-for-34 from the floor during that three-game span (58.8%)… Oliver is closing in on the 900-point plateau for her career (has 893 in her 66 career games)… She is the program's all-time leader with 224 career 3-point field goals (3rd in SAC history)… She has made a three-point field goal in 21 straight games… In just 37 career outings, Neptune has posted 50 blocked shots, seventh all-time in school history… TC has blocked a shot in 23 straight games, including 12 straight by Neptune… Since 2005, the Pioneers are 33-6 when scoring at least 70 points… Tusculum wraps up the pre-holiday schedule with a rematch against King on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.
WINGATE - Wingate senior guard Kate Edwards scored 23 points as the Bulldogs defeated number 16 Shaw University 80-66 Friday night at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus. Edwards scored 18 of her game-high 23 markers after intermission ... With the victory, Wingate evens its record at 4-4 overall. The Bulldogs take a break for final examinations before returning to the court Saturday, Dec. 15, hosting Erksine College for a 5 p.m. contest at Cuddy Arena ... Edwards was one of three Bulldogs to hit double figures at Shaw. Sophomore forward Erica Crumlin hit 14 points off the bench, while senior wing Kasey Gillis netted 12 points. Crumlin had a game-high four blocked shots ... In the Shaw contest, Edwards hit eight-of-13 field goals (61.5 percent) and six-of-10 three-point field goals (60.0 percent). For the week, Edwards averaged 17.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game and 2.0 steals per game ... Edwards hit 54.5 percent (12-of-22) of her field goals and 56.3 percent (nine-of-16) of her three-point field goals last week. For the season, Edwards is averaging 11.9 points per game. She leads the Bulldogs with 20 three-point field goals ... The Bulldogs topped the Newberry College Indians 72-64 in the South Atlantic Conference women's basketball opener for both teams Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. Newberry was the pre-season favorite to win the SAC regular season championship ... Wingate junior guard Brittany West led the Wingate attack with a career-high 16 points. West hit seven-of-nine field goals against Newberry. Edwards added 11 points, going three-of-six from beyond the arc. Bulldog junior point guard Anna Atkinson had 11 points, seven assists and four steals for the hosts. Eleven different players scored for Wingate, with six players scoring at least five points ... Wingate shot 41 percent from the field in the game, going seven-of-14 from three-point range. The Bulldogs converted 30 Newberry turnovers into 31 points. Wingate had 16 steals, led by Atkinson's four and three by junior forward Leslie Tucker ... Atkinson leads the Bulldogs with 15.5 points per game. Edwards is next on the Wingate scoring charts with 11.9 points per game. Crumlin contributes 9.8 points per game and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game. Atkinson leads the team in assists with 72, while Crumlin is Wingate's top shot-blocker with 16 rejections.