Women’s Basketball Notes, December 14, 2009
Women's basketball notes and game recaps for week ending December 13, 2009.
BREVARD - The Tornados did not play any games past week...They will face Belmont-Abbey on Thursday and St. Andrews on Friday.
CARSON-NEWMAN - Carson-Newman made the most of its one game this week, knocking off No. 8 Clayton State, 65-62, on the road … It was the Lady Eagles' second win in as many seasons over a top-10 ranked team as the squad defeated then-No. 5 Tusculum by a 90-87 score on Jan. 17, 2009 … C-N trailed by as much as 11 in the first half Saturday before leading by six with 12:13 to go in the game … The Lady Eagles led by three after a pair of free throws by Mandy Mendenhall with 10 seconds left but Clayton State tied the game at 62 on a three-pointer by Tanisha Tillman … With overtime looming, Ashley Kyle went the length of the floor and was fouled shooting a three-pointer and made all three free throws to seal the victory for the Lady Eagles … Carson-Newman forced 27 Laker turnovers and outrebounded the opposition 51-44 including 21 offensive boards … Mendenhall had a game-high 21 points while Kyle, Shari Buford and Zoriah Williams each tallied 14 points … Kyle had six assists and five steals while Buford and Williams had 13 and 12 rebounds, respectively, with eight of Williams' boards coming on the offensive glass … Clayton State's Tillman had 16 points (seven off her season average) and six rebounds to lead the Lakers while LaDe'Sha Stoudamire recorded 12 points and nine rebounds and Tanisha Woodard had 11 points … Carson-Newman will face USC Aiken on the road Saturday at 1:30 p.m., in its sixth-straight contest away from Holt Fieldhouse.
CATAWBA - The Catawba women took last week off and return to action on Wednesday against Saint Paul's ... The game has been moved to Goodman Gym due to issues with the gymnasium at Saint Paul's ... Catawba topped the Tigers 80-66 at Goodman Gym to open the season ... The Lady Indians will close the pre-Christmas schedule at home vs. Mount Olive on Dec. 18.
LENOIR-RHYNE - The No. 22 Lenoir-Rhyne University women's basketball team (7-1) pushed its winning streak to seven games with a pair of victories on the road last week against Queens (72-61) and Pfeiffer (64-54) on Tuesday and Saturday, respectively … Against the Royals in Charlotte, N.C., senior guard Denise Moore (Newport News, Va.) was one of four Bears to score in double figures as she led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds … Senior guards Amber Holt (Charlotte, N.C.) and Brittany Mitch (McLean, Va.) added 14 points each as L-R jumped out to a 49-30 lead early in the second half and was able to hold on for the win … Lenoir-Rhyne also limited Queens to just 37 percent shooting (23-of-62) for the contest including 17 percent (two-of-12) from behind the three-point line … Sophomore guard Cameron Sealey (Gastonia, N.C.) tallied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both game-highs, in leading the Bears to the victory over the Lady Falcons … Holt added 14 points and hit a three-pointer and a lay-up back-to-back with under two minutes left to help L-R hold on for the win … The Bears also limited the Lady Falcons to just 36 percent shooting (21-of-58) and forced 21 turnovers in the win … Lenoir-Rhyne has won seven of its first eight contests for the second straight year … Holt ranks eighth in points (1,266) and fifth in assists (345) on Lenoir-Rhyne's career lists … Senior center Denise Moore (Newport News, Va.) and senior guard Jami Safrit (Hickory, N.C.) are nearing 1,000 points for their Bear careers with 880 and 867 points, respectively … Both players could become the 14th and 15th players in school history to cross the 1,000-point mark … Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Aiken, S.C., to face USC Aiken on Thursday at 6 p.m. … Lenoir-Rhyne won earlier this year on November 24 in Hickory, N.C., by a 59-57 score on a last-second trey by Holt … USC Aiken leads the all-time series with Lenoir-Rhyne, 3-1.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL - Lincoln Memorial did not play this week … LMU will travel to Melbourne, Florida, to play in the Florida Tech Holiday Classic on Friday and Saturday … They will face Fort Valley State on Friday and will face host Florida Tech on Saturday.
MARS HILL - Mars Hill went 0-2 during the previous week of play losing to No. 23 Lander and North Georgia. No. 23-ranked Lander held off a late Mars Hill comeback attempt and defeated the Lions 79-75 inside Stanford Arena ... The Lady Bearcats came into the contest winning by an average margin of 15.5 points per game, but Mars Hill jumped on top by seven points six minutes into the game. Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) hit back-to-back shots to give the Lions a 21-14 lead ... Lander responded with a 13-0 run over the course of 4:06. Nardia Robbins (York, S.C.) hit three 3-pointers during the stretch to give the Lady Bearcats a 27-21 advantage at the midway point of the first half ... Mars Hill regained the lead, 29-28, with 6:02 left in the first half off a jumper by Sky Assif (Cross Lanes, W. Va.), but Lander closed out the half on a 17-1 spurt and led 45-30 at halftime. Robbins had 17 points in the game, all coming in the first half. Young recorded 15 first half points ... The Lady Bearcats stretched their lead to as much as 23 in the second half. At the 11:28 mark, Mukia Myrick (Columbus, Ga.) nailed a trey to give Lander a 66-43 lead ... The Lions mounted their first comeback with a 21-2 run. Margaret Harvey (Greensboro, N.C.) had eight points during the run which was finished off by a Beth Miller (Burlington, N.C.) layup with 6:47 left in the game ... The Lady Bearcats stretched the difference back to eight points, 75-67, off a layup by Kami Phillips (Augusta, Ga.). Mars Hill cut the deficit to four points, 77-73, off a shot from behind the arc by Taylor Deal (Catawba, N.C.) with 1:22 left in the game, but the Lions would get no closer ... Harvey led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, including 17 in the second half. She also had nine rebounds. Young finished with 17 points. Deal tallied 13. Krystal Moore (Summerfield, N.C.) had 12 ... Mars Hill outrebounded Lander 46-33. Lander's bench outscored Mars Hill 37-7 ... North Georgia converted 24-34 free throws, including seven straight free throws in the final 35 seconds of the game, to defeat Mars Hill 86-81 on Saturday inside Stanford Arena. The Lions fall to 2-6 and have lost four straight games ... The first half was a back and forth affair. Mars Hill grabbed an 11-10 lead seven minutes into the contest off a jumper by Margaret Harvey (Greensboro, N.C.) ... North Georgia held a three-point advantage, 29-26, off a trey by Meredith Montgomery (Lawrenceville, Ga.). The Lions took the upper hand, 36-35, off a layup by Krystal Moore (Summerfield, N.C.) with 57 seconds remaining in the first half, but Sarah Stinson (Woodstock, Ga.) got an offensive rebound and converted a layup as time expired to give the Lady Saints the halftime edge ... Harvey scored all 15 of her points in the first half. Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) had 12 points in the first period ... North Georgia stretched its lead to eight points, 55-47, at the 13:21 mark in the second half off a layup by Alyssa Stokes (Marietta, Ga.) ... Mars Hill cut the deficit to 57-55 off two free throws by Taylor Deal (Catawba, N.C.) two minutes later. An Ieshia Alexander (Rome, Ga.) layup pushed the Lady Saint lead back to six points, 63-57, but the Lions tied the game at the 6:55 mark off a three by Moore ... With the game tied at 67 with 4:45 left in the game, Stokes nailed two free throws, and Mars Hill never regained the lead ... Whitney Randolph (Gainesville, Ga.) led all North Georgia scorers with 22 points. Janyce Ealey (Carrollton, Ga.) posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Stokes netted 21 points ... Young scored a game-high 24 points for Mars Hill. Moore finished with 17 points, 13 of those coming in the second half. Deal recorded 10 points ... The Lions were 13-23 from three-point range in the game compared to only 4-13 for the Lady Saints. North Georgia outrebounded Mars Hill 48-31 overall and 16-4 on the offensive boards ... The Lions will participate in the Florida Tech Tournament on December 18-19. Mars Hill will take on Florida Tech on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
NEWBERRY - In its only game last week, the Newberry College women's basketball team fell to Lander in a hard-fought, non-conference contest … Lander was ranked 23rd in the USA Today ESPN NCAA Division-II Coaches' Poll going into the game … Lander rushed out to an early lead and Newberry quickly closed the gap, but the scarlet and gray were forced to play catch-up for the length of the contest … The game saw five ties and four lead changes … The Bearcats blocked nine of Newberry's shots and held the scarlet and gray to 38.1 percent (24-63) from the field … Anita Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) managed her sixth double-double in as many games with 15 points and 13 rebounds … Amy Browne led all Newbery scorers with 22 points, 14 of which came in the second half … Leanne Watson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was also a double-digit scorer with 11 points on the night … Jessica Bearzatto (Melbourne, Australia), who led the South Atlantic Conference in assists going into the game, had another impressive outing with 8 points and 6 assists … Newberry will return home to face Pfeiffer on December 15, 2009, in Eleazer Arena.
TUSCULUM - The Tusculum College women's basketball team posted a 3-0 record last week, extending its season-opening road winning streak to five games with a trio of double-digit victories over West Georgia, District of Columbia, and Shepherd…Tusculum began the week with an impressive 74-53 win over West Georgia on Tuesday behind a 17-point second-half from All-American Jasmine Gunn…The 4-11 guard recorded game-highs of seven rebounds and six assists while grabbing four steals…Freshman Kendal Baxter connected on a trio of three-pointers to finish the game with 11 points as the Pioneers coasted to a 21-point win…The Pioneers knocked down at least 45 percent of their field goal attempts for the fourth time in their first five games, while holding the Wolves to a 33 percent clip from the floor…Tusculum continued its strong play in the nation's capitol on Saturday, defeating the University of the District of Columbia by a 72-40 score, forcing a season-high 26 turnovers and recording 20 steals…The 20-steal total marks the first time a Pioneer squad has recorded at least 20 thefts in once game since Dec. 11, 2004 against Queens (N.C)…Jasmine Gunn stole the spotlight against UDC, pouring in 13 markers to become the 14th player in program history to score at least 1,000 points in her career, accomplishing the feat in her 68th career game…Kendal Baxter poured in a game-high 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting, notching her second 20-point performance in her rookie season…Senior Kat Spears recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds…The Pioneers knocked down at least 45 percent of their shots for the third straight game, connecting on 46.2 percent of their field goal attempts, including a 43.8 percent clip from three-point range…Tusculum concluded the three-game road swing with a 90-76 win over Shepherd on Sunday, pouring in a season-high 90 markers as a team to notch their fourth straight victory…Jasmine Gunn led all scorers with 25 points on 11-of-23 shooting, dishing out a game-high five assists while hauling down a team-best seven rebounds…The two-time All-SAC honoree also recorded the 400th assist of her career, becoming the fourth player in program history to do so…Kendal Baxter scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, pouring in 18 points on six three-pointers…Kat Spears chipped in 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and blocked two shots to move into a tie for third on the program's all-time list alongside Pioneer great Susan Starnes with 106 career rejections…Tusculum knocked down at least 45 percent of its field goal attempts for the fourth straight game, connecting on 49.3 percent of its shots, including a 45 percent clip from behind the arc…The Pioneers also notched their fourth consecutive game with at least 10 assists, dishing out 12 helpers as a team…Tusculum has scored at least 80 points in four games thus far, and has posted a blistering 46.1 percent field goal percentage as a team through seven contests…The Pioneers are outscoring their opponents by an average of 12.4 points per game this season while winning the battle on the glass by an average of 5.4 boards…Jasmine Gunn and Kendall Baxter are providing plenty of offense for the Pioneers this season, averaging a combined 32.9 points per game to both rank among the conference leaders in scoring…Baxter has been a consistent threat from behind the arc for the Pioneers, knocking down an average of 4.1 three-pointers per game (29 total) through seven contests to lead the conference by more than one triple per game…Tusculum resumes its schedule this coming weekend at Wingate University's Ortho Carolina Classic, squaring off against a pair of Peach Belt powerhouses on Friday and Saturday…The Pioneers take on No. 17 Francis Marion University on Friday night at 8 p.m., and will look for redemption against a Clayton State University squad which knocked the Pioneers out of the NCAA Tournament last season, as TC squares off against the eighth-ranked Lakers at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
WINGATE - The Wingate University women's basketball team did not play last week. The Bulldogs spent the week taking final exams for the 2009 fall semester. Wingate (4-3 overall) returns to the hardwood this week with three big regional contests in Cuddy Arena ... On Wednesday, Wingate entertains Anderson (S.C.) University at 6 p.m. The Trojans usually find themselves near the top of the Conference Carolinas standings. On Dec. 17, 2008, Wingate defeated the AU Trojans 84-77 at Anderson. The Bulldogs converted 33 Trojan turnovers into 42 points ... Bulldogs host the OrthoCarolina Classic Friday and Saturday. Wingate plays Clayton State University Friday (5:30 p.m.) and Francis Marion University Saturday (1:30 p.m.). Fellow South Atlantic Conference member Tusculum College will also participate in the OrthoCarolina Classic ... During head coach Barbara Nelson's tenure, the Bulldogs are 21-5 overall in the friendly confines of Cuddy Arena. Wingate was 12-0 during the 2007-08 campaign, advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in the process. The 2007-08 season was Nelson's first on the Bulldog sidelines ... On March 17, 2008, Wingate defeated Clayton State 82-72 in the championship game of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament at Francis Marion. With the victory, number one seed Wingate made its third appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight (and first Elite Eight trip since 1996) ... Clayton State avenged the loss with a narrow 72-69 victory last season (Nov. 25, 2008). In Wingate's last meeting with Francis Marion, the Patriots topped the Bulldogs 112-81 on Nov. 27, 2007 in the Smith University Center on the FMU campus. FMU hit 10-of-19 triples on the evening (52.6 percent) ... Sophomore guard Kurie Washington leads Wingate with 14.6 points per game. Junior guard CC Brooks is next with 7.8 points per game. Senior center Stacie Rhodes tops the Bulldog rebounding charts with her 6.4 rebounds per game. Six of Wingate's seven contests this season have been played away from the friendly confines of Cuddy Arena.