Jan. 4, 2003

Final Stats

Spartanburg, S.C. - Miranda Long had 12 points, Tiffany Hamm scored 11, and Kala Greene added 10 points and nine rebounds as Western Carolina improved to 9-2 overall and 2-0 in the Southern Conference with a 70-53 win over Wofford Saturday night in Spartanburg, S.C.

"We played hard for 40 minutes out there," praised WCU head coach Beth Dunkenberger. "We've struggled at Wofford in the past, so this was a great win for us there. We were able to rotate 10 healthy players who played outstanding defense and a very unselfish game."

After consecutive layups by Ricaye Harris gave Wofford (3-8, 0-2) an early 6-2 lead, Western Carolina went on a 15-0 run over the next 3:58 to take a 17-6 lead at the 13:54 mark of the first half. Greene had four points during the spurt which was capped by a Long basket.

The Lady Terriers closed to within 21-17 on a Stephanie Ripberger layup with 5:43 left in the first half and trailed just 30-24 at the intermission.

Led by Nakia Mister's team-high 12 points, all in the second half, Wofford was still within nine points at 48-39 on a Brie Bradshaw jumper with 9:50 to play. The Catamounts answered with a 10-2 run to build their margin back to 58-41 with 6:13 remaining.

Western's balanced attack was most evident in minutes played. No Catamount played more than 28 minutes or less than 13. As a team, WCU shot 40 percent from the field and 76.2 percent from the line. They claimed a slim 40-39 advantage on the boards, but a commanding edge in steals, 11-1. Janetta Heggins grabbed a season-high four steals, while Hamm had a career-high three takeaways.

Ricaye Harris scored 11 points for Wofford while Jenn Stasie added nine. The Lady Terriers were victimized by 22 turnovers, compared to just 12 for Western Carolina.

Both teams will be home on Monday. Wofford will face UNC Greensboro at 5 p.m., while Western Carolina hosts Chattanooga in a 7 p.m. game. WCU and UTC are currently tied for first in the SoCon.

Said Dunkenberger about the upcoming Chattanooga game, "UTC was picked to finish first in the league so this will be a good test for us. We've taken one game at a time and done a good job of focusing. Tonight was a huge win on the road, but now we need to defend our home court."