Jan. 23, 2006

Final Stats

Charleston, S.C. - The Western Carolina Lady Catamounts could not capitalize on the positive momentum from Saturday night's thrilling overtime home victory, failing to find any rhythm or shooting groove on the road Monday night as they fell to the College of Charleston, 69-59, at the John Kresse Arena. The loss was Western's first in the last eight meetings with the Cougars, and just the second time it had tasted defeat in the last 18 overall meetings in the series.

Western (3-15, 3-6 SoCon) put one player in double figures, led by the 15 points from sophomore Monique Dawson. She added six rebounds and three steals in the loss. Dawson's classmate, Ashley Pellom, and senior Teyawna Hardy each scored eight for WCU, with Hardy adding six boards. Sophomore Chevon Keith finished with seven points and six rebounds.

Saturday's heroes, freshmen Lauren Powell and Teshymia Tillman, who scored a combined 42 points in the win over Furman were held in check by the Cougars, combining for just seven points and three assists, with neither hitting a 3-point shot. Tillman did, however, lead the squad with nine rebounds, tying her career-high.

The Lady Catamounts struggled through the opening minutes of the game, shooting just 14-percent while witnessing the College of Charleston race to an early 10-point advantage, 16-6. Midway through the first stanza, Western was able to put together a 6-to-1 spurt over a two and a half minute stretch to cut the deficit to five, 17-12. But that was as close as the Lady Cats would get as the Cougars responded with four-straight points and closed the half with a season-high 55-percent field goal percentage and an 11-point, 39-28 lead.

In the second half, CofC built its advantage to as many as 17 and kept the Lady Catamounts at an arm's length until the latter stages. Converting Cougar miscues into back-to-back 3-pointers from Dawson, Western mounted an 8-0 spurt over two minutes to slice Charleston's lead to seven, 66-59, with 1:48 remaining. Down seven, Western forced a Charleston turnover, but could not convert and were reduced to fouling over the closing moments. The Cougars converted three free throws to seal the win, their seventh in eight attempts at the Kresse Arena this season.

In the second half, Charleston shot 35.7 percent while WCU was held to just 24.4 to finish the game with a 45.6 field goal percentage. Western Carolina ended with 29.6 for the game. The Catamounts edged the Cougars in rebounds, 46-44 and two fewer turnovers, 20-18.

The College of Charleston placed four players in double figures, led by 15 points from senior Erica Irick. Junior Melissa Chambers finished with a dozen and a team-high eight rebounds, with senior Marketta Talley and freshman Jade Hughes each tallying 10 points in the win.

Western returns home this Saturday, Jan. 28 to host the Wofford Terriers in the Ramsey Center at 5:00 pm. The Lady Catamounts earned their first victory of the season in the two teams' first meeting back on New Year's Eve, 79-54. The 25-point margin of victory for WCU was its largest under second-year head coach, Kellie Harper.

Saturday's game is scheduled to be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network on 1350 AM, WZNN in the Asheville area, or on-line at www.supertalk1350.com, with Brandon Stephens and Steven Crumpler on the call. Fans can also follow the game with live GameTracker, presented by the Catamount Travel Center, on-line at www.CatamountSports.com.