Box Score Dec. 11, 2004
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. -
Western Carolina used another second half rally to pull to within four of the Lady Paladins in the waning minutes of regulation, but timely free throw shooting from the Southern Conference's top foul shooting team proved to be the difference as Furman won its sixth-straight, 75-65, Saturday night in the Ramsey Activity Center.
The Lady Catamounts (5-4, 1-2 SoCon) placed a trio in double figures led by senior Jennifer Gardner and junior Teyawna Hardy, each scoring 12. Gardner, who entered the game nine points shy of 1,000 for her career, got what she needed to surpass the 1,000-point plateau on a pair of free throws at the 3:17 mark of the second half. She is the 18th different WCU women's basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points in a career, and is only one of eight players to add over 600 rebounds to that scoring tally. She currently stands with 1,003 career points and 660 rebounds after adding a team-high eight rebounds in the losing effort. In addition, Gardner moved into sole possession of sixth on the WCU All-time made free throws list with her 4-for-4 showing from the line.
Hardy, who tallied double figures for the third-consecutive game, adding five boards. Freshman guard Monique Dawson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Lady Cats, adding 11 points and a career-high seven rebounds. Her classmate, Chevon Keith, just missed double figures, scoring nine points, while freshman guard Ashley Pellom dished out a career-best five assists.
Furman (6-1, 2-0 SoCon) had four players reach double figures in the win, paced by junior Princess Wells with 19, which included 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Senior Katie Roach and junior Melynda Gant each scored a dozen, while senior Jen Nadalin was limited to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Trailing by 20, 57-37, with 10:55 to play, Western embarked on a 13-0 run to pull to within seven, 57-50. But a Wells 3-pointer ended the Furman scoreless streak and pushed the Lady Paladins back ahead by 10. That advantage would grow to 13 before the Lady Catamounts again made a run, a 13-4 spurt to close the gap to within four points with just under two minutes to play.
However, Furman would connect on eight-of-eight free throw attempts in the final half minute to ice the victory. The Lady Paladins, who entered the game shooting just over 78-percent from the charity stripe as a team, connected on 81-percent of their free tosses on Saturday night.
Western Carolina will take a break for final exams before returning to action on Saturday, December 18 at Georgia Southern in a Southern Conference match-up. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 pm.
