Jan. 2, 2006

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina put four players in double-figures, including the first career double-double for freshman post April Parker, but could not overcome Elon's 52-percent showing from the field in second half and a career night for sophomore Kitara McMoore, falling 85-72, to the Phoenix at the Ramsey Center Monday night.

Western (1-10, 1-1 SoCon) was again paced by freshman guard Lauren Powell who finished with 18 points, 14 of which came in the first stanza. Powell nailed four treys, all of which came in the opening half, to record her ninth career double-digit scoring performance. But it was her frontcourt classmate, Parker, who nearly stole the show. The Snellville, Ga., native tallied career-highs with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, en route to her first double-double. She also was credited with one blocked shot.

Sophomore guards Ashley Pellom and Monique Dawson also reached double-digits in the loss, tallying 10 apiece, with Pellom dishing out eight assists and swiping a pair of steals. Junior forward Erin May added nine points and four boards.

The Lady Catamounts never trailed in the first half, taking two, nine-point advantages in the first 20 minutes only to have the Phoenix rally to keep pace. Opening the game on a 13-4 run, Western built its first nine-point edge at the 14:08 mark, but Elon pulled back to within one, 14-13, four minutes later. After the Phoenix tied the game at 19-all with seven minutes remaining until the half, Western rattled off nine-straight points, including a pair of Powell trifectas, to again push the lead back to nine, 28-19. However, Elon closed the first stanza with a 14-to-5 run, including a steal and a McMoore lay-up at the buzzer to knot the game at 33 at intermission.

The Phoenix took their first lead of the night just under two minutes into the second half, 36-35. It would prove to be the game's final lead change as Elon inched ahead by seven at the 15-minute mark, but would push the advantage into double-digits midway through the final half. Ballooning the lead to as many as 17, Elon cruised down the stretch as Western could not take advantage of opportunities from the free throw line, falling 85-72.

Western Carolina out rebounded the Phoenix, 43-to-41, including holding a 20-to-15 edge on the offensive glass. But the more telling statistic on the night was field goal percentage. Elon shot 48.5-percent for the game, including 51.5 in the second half, while Western put up a 36.7-percent showing for the game, 31-percent in the second half alone and just 14-percent from beyond the 3-point arc after intermission.

Elon (5-6, 1-2 SoCon) was led by the career night for sophomore forward Kitara McMoore, who shot 12-of-18 from the floor on the night to finish with 31 points. The Virginia Beach, Va., native added 16 rebounds for her second-consecutive - and fourth overall - double-double of the season. Also scoring a career-high for the Phoenix was sophomore Nicole Allison, who finished with 20, with her backcourt classmate, Robyn Shipley, rounding out the Elon double-digit scorers with 11, including three, 3-pointers.

Western returns to action this weekend with a pair of road games in SoCon play. The Lady Catamounts visit Davidson on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2:00 pm in the Belk Arena, then travel to arch-rival Appalachian State on Monday at 6:00 pm as a part of a WCU-ASU doubleheader. Elon visits Georgia Southern on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm in Statesboro, Ga.

Both of Western Carolina's games can be heard on the Catamount Sports Network, locally in Cullowhee on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 and in the Asheville area on SuperTalk 1350 AM. Both stations also offer streaming audio on-line at www.WWCUFM.com and www.SuperTalk1350.com.