Box Score Dec. 31, 2004
Final Stats
Radford, Va. -
For the Lady Catamounts, all 12 players that saw action versus the Radford Highlanders on New Year's Eve tallied points. However, for the first-time this year, the Cats were without a single player reaching double figures in scoring as Western Carolina fell, 72-56, Saturday afternoon in its final non-conference game of the season.
Western (6-6, 2-3 SoCon) had four individuals finish with seven points, led by Jennifer Gardner. The senior forward added nine rebounds in the loss. Joining Gardner with seven points were classmate Sigita Maleraite and freshman Jessika Johnson in her second-career start. Freshman Leah Barrier rounded out the leading scorers, pouring in seven off the bench.
Freshman guard Ashley Pellom added six points and three steals, while both Monique Dawson and Ki-Ki Glass each dished out three assists, apiece.
Western Carolina trailed during the opening five and a half minutes of contest before Pellom made a steal and took it the distance for a lay-up giving the Lady Cats their first lead at 10-9. Radford answered with a 7-0 run, which included four free throws, to stretch its advantage to six, 16-10.
Yet, the Lady Cats again reeled the Highlanders in, closing to within one and then regaining the lead on another Pellom lay-up. That would be the last time Western would be in front as Radford responded with an 18-2 spurt that turned the one-point deficit into its largest lead of the first half of 15. During the run, freshman Serena White nailed three 3-pointers for nine of her 14 first half points. The Highlanders nursed their lead down the stretch, surviving a small 8-2 burst by the Lady Cats to lead by nine, 43-34 at halftime.
The Lady Catamounts opened the second stanza with a 5-0 spurt to close the deficit to four a mere 40 seconds into the half, but could not get any closer as Radford recovered and rebuilt its lead back to double digits by the 12-minute mark. Western could only manage to trade buckets with the Highlanders before falling behind by a game-high 18 points on two occasions in the final three minutes of regulation. The Highlanders connected on a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the second to thwart any chances for a WCU rally for the final 16-point final margin.
Radford (2-7) had three players finish in double figures, led by freshman Serena White with 16 points and three steals. The Highlanders also had double-digit performances from University of Pittsburgh transfer Shavon Earp and Sarah Stephens with 13 and 11, respectively.
Western did manage to hold the Highlanders' leading scorer, Taryn Causey, to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, her second-lowest output of the season. She was held scoreless in the second half.
However, the Lady Cats were beaten on the boards, out rebounded 47-44 by the Highlanders while committing 17 turnovers. WCU also shot a season low 31.4 percent from the floor (22-of-70) and were only allowed 12 free throw opportunities on which they connected on seven, both seasonal lows.
The Lady Catamounts return to action on Wednesday, January 5 as they host the College of Charleston Cougars at 7:00 pm in the Ramsey Center. The game can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5, or online via the station's streaming audio at www.wwcufm.com. Brandon Stephens and Steven Crumpler will have the call with air time at 6:45 pm.
