Jan. 15, 2007

Final Stats

Statesboro, Ga. - Western Carolina witnessed its 15-point second half advantage evaporate over a seven-minute span late in the contest on Monday night as Georgia Southern put together a methodical 24-to-8 run to grab a one-point advantage, 65-64, with 2:35 remaining in regulation. However, the Lady Catamounts converted seven of its final eight free throw attempts in outscoring the Lady Eagles 9-to-3 over the final two minutes to earn its third-consecutive Southern Conference victory, 73-68, at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Western Carolina (11-7, 5-2 SoCon) extended its streak to two-straight wins over Georgia Southern, and have been victorious now in four of the last five meetings. The Lady Eagles suffered their fourth-straight loss over the last two weeks, dropping to 7-11 overall and 2-5 in league play.

Rallying from 15 points down, GSU's Ashley Melson's trifecta with 9:33 remaining started the 24-8 Lady Eagle scoring drive that was capped off by Chequilla Jessie hitting the go-ahead jumper with just over two minutes to play, giving GSU its first lead since their first bucket just 18 seconds into the contest.

Over Western's next two possessions, though, sophomore transfer Brooke Johnson and junior Jessika Johnson hit all four free-throw attempts and the Lady Catamounts regained the lead, 68-65, with 1:32 remaining. After a 30-second GSU timeout, Tiffany Brown pulled up to the 3-point line and tied up the match for the fourth and final time of the contest with the trey.

WCU's ensuing possession saw Pellom can a jumper that pushed the Lady Catamounts ahead by two with 45 seconds remaining, but GSU's late attempts to regain the lead fell short, and Western Carolina spent the remainder of the contest on the free throw line.

Pellom tallied double-figures in the second-consecutive outing finishing with at team-high 15. The junior from Wilmington, N.C., also made a pair of steals and dished out an assist to claim sole possession of 10th-place on Western's career assists chart, surpassing Amy McEntire (1990-93) with 213 career helpers. Brooke Johnson recorded six of her 13 points from the free throw line with a perfect showing, and also added three blocked shots to pull to within three of adding her name to WCU's single-season top 10 in just eight games this season.

Rounding out Western's double-digit scorers were junior Monique Dawson with 12 points and sophomore Lauren Powell with 10, both connecting on 2-of-4 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Dawson and classmate Chevon Keith each recorded team-high seven rebounds, with Keith adding nine points and three steals in the winning effort.

In the first 20 minutes, the Lady Catamounts managed to lead by as many as six points until just a minute before the break when Powell and Brooke Johnson hit all four foul shot attempts, with Powell adding a 3-pointer to head into the locker room with a 10-point, 37-27 lead.

Western committed 23 total turnovers in the game - seven of which came during Georgia Southern's second half run - but the Lady Catamounts turned 16 Lady Eagle giveaways into 25 points. WCU also held a commanding lead on the glass, out rebounding Georgia Southern 44-to-32 with a dozen offensive boards.

Pacing the Lady Eagles was Tiffany Brown as she scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Jessie followed, matching her career-high 16 points, with Ashley Melson coming up one point shy of matching a season- and career-best, netting 15 points, 13 of which came in the second stanza. Concella Henry led all players with a season-best eight rebounds.

The Lady Catamounts return to action this Saturday, Jan. 20, as they visit Furman for a 1:30 pm tip-off as a part of a WCU-Furman hoops double-header in Timmons Arena. The Catamount men will face the Paladins at 4:00 pm, immediately following the women's action.

Both games will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard in Western North Carolina on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 or online at www.WWCUFM.com or www.CatamountSports.com.