Box Score Jan. 21, 2006
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. - Paced by a pair of career performances from two first-year players and timely shooting from its lone senior, Western Carolina snapped its three-game losing skid Saturday evening, rallying from a four-point deficit in overtime to knock off the Furman Lady Paladins, 79-73.
The win halted Western's three-game losing skid and was the Lady Catamounts' first regular season victory inside the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center. It also marked WCU's first win in three seasonal overtime affairs, all of which have come at home.
After being held scoreless on an 0-for-5 showing from the floor in the first half, Lauren Powell, who is the highest-ranking freshman in scoring average in the Southern Conference, scored a career-high 22 points in the second half to lead WCU on the night. Powell, who began the night 0-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc, did not miss in the second half, finishing 5-of-9. Her front court classmate, Teshymia Tillman, tallied career bests with 20 points and nine rebounds and tied a career-high with five assists, while senior Teyawna Hardy added 13 points off the bench to help Western to the win.
Trailing by two, Furman's Melissa Liebschwager converted a lay-up in the lane with just a few ticks remaining on the clock to tie the game at 63, forcing Western's second-consecutive Saturday night overtime home game. In the extra session, the Lady Catamounts missed their first four shots allowing the Lady Paladins to pull out to a four-point edge, 69-65. However, after back-to-back buckets by Powell and Tillman, the game was again tied at 69. Liebschwager made yet another bid at being Furman's hero, rattling home a 3-pointer to shatter the tie and give the Lady Paladins the three-point lead, 72-69. The visitor's celebration was short-lived, however, as Hardy's offering from the top of the key found the range to force the game's sixth and final tie at 72. On the ensuing possession, Hardy snatched the ball away from Phelps to give WCU the possession with under 30 seconds to play and after an offensive rebound by Tillman, Powell drained her fifth trey of the night to ignite the final 7-1 spurt by WCU and essentially sealing Furman's fate.
Furman, who saw its current losing skid extended to five games, put four players in double-figures, led by 15 points Chrissy Phelps. Senior Tommi Paris, who fouled out with 3:32 remaining in regulation, finished with 14 points, while freshman Melissa Liebschwager and senior Megan Scott tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Poor shooting and a combined 24 turnovers plagued both teams in the first half. The Lady Catamounts were 0-for-9 from three-point range and 10-for-34 from the floor (.294), while Furman connected on just one trey and went 10-for-28 from the field. The Lady Paladins opened up a nine-point advantage on four occasions during the opening 20 minutes, but Western never let the deficit slip to double-digits. WCU scored the final four points of the first half to close to within five at intermission, 25-20, marking WCU's lowest point total in a half this season.
Western (3-14, 3-5 SoCon) cut Furman's lead to four twice at the outset of the second half, but the Lady Paladins managed to balloon the back out to nine at the 17:00 and 16:33 marks. Yet, from the latter until the 13-minute mark, the Lady Catamounts put together a 13-0 run to take a four-point lead, 40-36, keyed by the trio of Powell, Tillman, and Hardy. WCU would take its largest advantage of seven points with nine minutes remaining in regulation, setting up Furman's comeback and the overtime session.
Western returns to action on Monday, Jan. 23 visiting the College of Charleston at 7:00 pm. The game will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard on 1350 AM, WZNN in the Asheville area, or on-line at www.supertalk1350.com. Furman visits Elon on Monday with a 6:00 pm tip-off.
