Jan. 8, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Several names on the backs of the jerseys had changed and the venue may have been different, but the competition and intensity remained the same as Western Carolina battled hard before falling 59-55 to the visiting Chattanooga Lady Mocs in a rematch of last year's Southern Conference Championship game Saturday evening at the Ramsey Activity Center.

Western, who came into the game leading the SoCon in scoring offense at over 72 points per game, was stymied by Chattanooga's defense and cold shooting in the losing effort. The Lady Catamounts tied a season-low for points, equaling the mark set in the season-opener at Clemson. WCU could only manage 24-percent shooting from the field, its lowest shooting percentage of the season.

The game also marked the first for Western coaches Kellie and Jon Harper versus former head coach Wes Moore. Both of the Harpers had spent the past three seasons assisting Moore, helping the Lady Mocs score three-consecutive conference titles.

"We played hard, but missed too many opportunities in lay-ups and open looks. It's frustrating that we couldn't take advantage of the chances we had," said Western Carolina head coach Kellie Harper. "I was proud of our defensive effort. Holding a team like Chattanooga under 60 points is very positive for our team. But we can't pick and choose when we're going to turn it up.

Western Carolina (7-7, 3-4 SoCon) was led by senior guard Shaketia Barnes with 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman Chevon Keith and senior Lori Tanner each added eight points apiece, with Keith pulling down seven rebounds and swiping a career-high four steals.

"Shaketia (Barnes) had a good night," said Harper. "We have asked her to compliment her scoring with rebounding and defensive intensity, and she did that tonight."

Senior forward Jennifer Gardner added seven points and six rebounds in the loss, but did move into sole possession of seventh on WCU's All-time career free-throws attempted list, surpassing Kim McInturff (1987-90). She currently stands with 441 attempts.

Chattanooga (12-3, 7-1 SoCon) had two individuals score in double figures led by the 14-points and seven rebounds of freshman Laura Hall. Junior Nicole Mattison added 11 points and three assists in the win, with KeKe McWilliams just missing double figures with nine points and eight rebounds for the Lady Mocs.

Western took its only lead of the first half on its first bucket of the game as Barnes connected on a 3-pointer to go ahead 3-2 just under two minutes into the game. Chattanooga responded with a 13-4 run over the next six minutes to reclaim the lead and build its advantage to eight on the strength of three long range shots, two of which came from Mattison. The Lady Catamounts battled back, though, cutting the UTC advantage to two with an 11-4 spurt, capped off by senior Sigita Maleraite's only three points on the night on a trifecta. Chattanooga nursed its advantage back to six on three occasions, including the halftime margin.

In the second stanza, the Cats' took their first lead since the opening minutes of the game when Gardner connected on a turnaround in the lane to put Western up 35-33 with 15:51 remaining in regulation. The lead would be short-lived as the Lady Mocs tied the game for the second-time after halftime at 15:30, then, after a three and a half minute scoring drought, Chattanooga scored two go ahead points on McWilliams free throws and would never trail again.

Western fought hard down the stretch, again pulling to within one at the 3:40 mark, but the Lady Mocs nailed 11-of-14 free throws to thwart any comeback.

The Lady Catamounts hit the road Monday, January 10 as they battle the Lady Bucs of East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Chattanooga returns home to host Davidson on January 10 at 7:00 pm in the McKenzie Arena.