Jan. 31, 2004
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior forward Jennifer Gardner tied both a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds as she led Western Carolina to its third straight win and the second consecutive season sweep of the College of Charleston with a 74-58 victory. The Catamounts improve to 7-12 overall and 6-6 in the SoCon, while the Cougars fall to 5-15, 3-10 in the league.
The Cats roared out of the gates, opening the first half with a commanding 18-2 lead at 9:56. A layup by Eliza Kucharska gave the Cougars four points, marking their first field goal in over eight minutes. Two free throws by senior Yoneko Allen with under a minute to go put Western up by 25, its largest lead of the game at 42-17. Marketta Talley came back on the other end to pull up for the 3-pointer to give Charleston 20 for the first half, but a layup by Gardner made the score 44-20 at the break.
Gardner posted 15 points alone in the first period and junior Sigita Maleraite chipped in 12 as the Cats shot 45.5 percent in the half and hit 11-of-11 from the free throw line. C of C shot 28.6 percent in the half and just 20 percent from the line. WCU carried a 25-15 rebounding advantage into the locker room.
The Cougars started the second stanza just how they had finished the first, with a trey, this time by Erica Nesmith to bring Western's lead to 21. Charleston got to within 13 points at 10:44 on a 3-pointer by Jennifer Manard, who led the squad with a career-high 16 points in the game. The Catamounts stretched their lead back out to 19 on a made free throw by Gardner, who went 6-of-8 from the line for the game. The Cougars got it down to 13 one more time on another trey by Manard with just under three minutes left in the game, but the Catamounts would let them get no closer. Senior Tiffany Hamm made a layup for the final score of 74-58 as the College of Charleston missed its final three shot attempts.
Gardner went 9-of-13 from the floor and added one assist and two steals to her career-tying performance. Maleraite recorded a season-high 14 points for the Cats, while Hamm and Allen posted 16 apiece. Senior Christy Blackwell dished out a season-high eight assists in the win. Overall, Western shot 39.1 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe. WCU dominated on the boards, grabbing a season-high 49, while Charleston had 38.
Carrie Geden led the Cougars with 10 rebounds, adding seven points, two assists, one block and a steal. Manard's 16 points came on a career-high five field goals, four of which were from downtown, adding 2-of-2 from the line. C of C had four blocks in the game to Western's one rejection. The Cougars also had 21 turnovers in the game, while WCU had 18.
The Catamounts head to Chattanooga next to take on the Lady Mocs at 7:00 pm on Thursday, Feb. 5. The game will be televised live on CSTV (College Sports Television). This marks the first ever "national" television network exposure for Southern Conference Women's Basketball. The College of Charleston returns to the hardwood Monday, Feb. 2, as the Cougars host East Tennessee State at 4:30 pm.
