Jan. 5, 2008

Box Score

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Jessika Johnson picked up her biggest defensive rebound of the game when she crashed the glass with two seconds remaining and then was fouled, hitting a pair of free throws, to secure Western Carolina women's basketball a 71-67 win at Davidson College Saturday in John M. Belk Arena. The Lady Catamounts halt a three-game losing streak and improve to 9-5 on the season and 1-1 in the Southern Conference. Davidson falls to 8-6 on the season and 2-1 in the SoCon.

Western Carolina led by one point with one minute remaining after Davidson's Katie Hamilton hit a three-pointer to cut the Lady Cat's four-point lead to one. With 25 seconds left senior Monique Dawson stole the ball away from Hamilton and was fouled by the Wildcat's Alex Thompson who fouled out of the game. Dawson hit 1-of-2, her10th free throw of the game, scoring all 10 of her points from the charity stripe, to give the Lady Cats a two point lead, 69-67 with 12 seconds left.

Davidson's Mercedes Robinson collected the rebound off Dawson's missed free throw and Mandy Halbersleben attempted a jumper with two seconds left. Her shot rimmed out and Johnson was in the key position to pick up the rebound. She was intentionally fouled and after draining both of her free throws to ice the game, Western Carolina got the ball back under Davidson's basket. After in-bounding the ball, Chevon Keith got the ball and ran out the clock to end the game.

Neither team shot well in the second half. After shooting 50 percent in the first half, Western Carolina shot just 26.7 percent from the field in the second half, hitting 8-of-30. Junior Lauren Powell and sophomore Heather Swayne accounted for all but one of the field goals in the second half. Powell had five field goals and Swayne poured in two while Keith had one. The Lady Catamounts won the game at the free throw line making 18 trips and converting on 15. For the game, WCU was 19-of-24 from the charity stripe for 79.2 percent.

Davidson led by three points, 40-37, at the half but Western Carolina held the Wildcats to 27 points in the second half. Davidson shot 35.7 percent in the second half but only made six trips to the free throw line hitting four.

Powell led the game with a season-high 18 points. She was 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. Swayne tied her career-high with 10 points and Dawson scored in double figures for the eighth straight game with 10 points.

Western Carolina completes its four-game road swing on Monday when the Lady Cats play at Appalachian State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

HEAD COACH Kellie Harper QUOTES:

"I am proud of the players in finding a way to win. We had some break downs late but a win is a win and we don't take them for granted. The first half I think we gave up too many points, really in the first 10 minutes. We ended up changing our defensive scheme and looked at different combinations to figure this thing out. We went into the locker room and the players had written on the locker room 40 is too many points. In the second half we tried to get after them with our ball pressure and denying reversal and sometimes that gives them open shots and sometimes that leads to turnovers and get them out of their rhythm. I felt like we were able to do that in the second half."