Dec. 6, 2001

Final Stats

Greenville, SC - Furman's Lady Paladin basketball team used strong second half shooting and tenacious defense throughout to defeat Western Carolina, 72-47, Thursday night at Timmons Arena in the Southern Conference season opener for both teams.

Furman shot just 31.4 percent in the first half, but held the Catamounts to 17.2 percent shooting from the field and an 0-13 effort from three-point range, to lead 29-15 at the break. In addition, the Lady Paladins outrebounded WCU 31-21 in the first period and 55-37 for the game, taking 36 total second-shot opportunities away from the Cats.

In the second half, Furman's offense came alive to connect on 16-of-32(.500) field goals, while Western made just 9-of-29 (.310). Kim Lawrence had a particularly productive second period for Furman, scoring 10 of her 16 points and claiming nine of 12 rebounds in 14 second half minutes.

In addition to Lawrence's double-double, Furman's most productive players were Orion Wake, who scored 12, Althea Bufford, who tallied 11, and Mary Brock, who totaled 10. In addition, freshman guard Monica Pope claimed nine rebounds, while sophomore Deshara Shealey dished our seven assists.

The Catamounts were paced by Laura Echols, who had 18 points and seven rebounds. Tiffany Hamm added 10 points, while Yoneko Allen topped playmaking with three assists.

With the victory, Furman improves to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the Southern Conference, while the Catamounts fall to 6-2 overall and 0-1 in league play. Western will return to action Sunday (Dec. 9) with a 2 p.m. tip at Radford.