Feb. 16, 2002

Final Stats

Charleston, S.C. - Western Carolina's Laura Echols scored 25 points, including 17 in the second half, as the Catamounts defeated the College of Charleston in women's basketball action tonight at the John Kresse Arena.

The win gives the Catamounts a 15-10 record and 7-9 in the Southern Conference while the Cougars drop to 13-11 and 7-9 in the SoCon.

The first half was a game of give and take as the game saw 10 ties and 16 lead changes so no one team could take the clear advantage. The largest lead of five came at the 4:09 mark when the Cougars led the Catamounts 37-32. Charleston shot 50 percent in the first half while Western Carolina shot 44.1. The Cougars had 16 rebounds but only had two offensive boards compared to six by the Catamounts on the offensive side. The Cougars were nailing shots from the perimeter in the first half, as the basketball team was 5-for-7 from the 3-point line, including a 3-for-3 effort by Rachel King.

With 11:23 left in the second half, it looked as if the Cougars might break open the game as they took the 57-50 lead. Western Carolina turned the game around after that to go on a 27-to-12 run over the next 11 minutes taking the eight-point 77-69 lead with just 12 second left in the game. King made a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to take the final margin to five. Western Carolina stayed consistent in its shooting by hitting 44.8 percent in the second half to total 44.4 for the game. The College of Charleston dropped to 39.4 percent from the field in the second half and ended the game with 44.1. After a successful first half from 3-point land the Cougars only connected on two in the second half to come away with a 7-for-15 effort.

Western Carolina held the advantage throughout the game in rebounds with 42, compared to 35 for Charleston. Jennifer Gardner had 15 points while Melissa Ervin added 10 to help the Catamount cause. Catamount sophomore Janetta Heggins had a career high seven assists and nine rebounds, while Ki-Ki Glass had five assists and five rebounds. Leading the Cougar effort was Rachel King with 18 points while Wilma Simpson and Brittney Scarberry added 16 each. Simpson also led with 11 rebounds.

Western Carolina returns to action on Tuesday, February 19 at Appalachian State. Game time set for 7 pm. The Catamounts will close their regular season at the Ramsey Center on Saturday, February 23 versus UNC Greensboro. Game time is set for 2 pm. Western will honor its two seniors at the game, Laura Echols and Katie Scott.