Dec. 2, 2009

Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball halted a three-game losing skid with a 62-51 victory over mountain rival UNC Asheville Wednesday in the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts improve to 2-5 on the year while the Bulldogs fall to 2-4.

Junior guard Kendra Carroll led all scorers with 15 points and was followed by Kristen Feemster who had 11 points and Kaila'Shea Menendez added 10 points. Feemster also led the team pulling down eight rebounds.

The contest was knotted at 25 at the half. Western Carolina was down by as much as seven points, 18-11, with 9:55 left in the half. The Catamounts went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 20 with 5:51 left. A pair of field goals by both teams tied it again at 20 before the Bulldogs Kendall Shepard hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to give UNCA a 25-22 advantage. The Catamounts had an answer in the form of senior guard Heather Swayne, who hit one of her two three-pointers in the game, with 20 seconds left, to tie the game at 25 heading into the locker room.

Western Carolina hit six three pointers in the first half and ended the game with a season high nine treys as a team. The Catamounts also won the rebounding advantage 39-35.

Coming out of the locker room, Western Carolina took a 27-25 lead when Feemster hit a lay-up off an assist from Jessica Jackson. WCU went on a 13-2 run in the first eight minutes of the second half to build an 11 point advantage, 28-27, capped off by a jumper by Emily Clarke.

UNC Asheville continued to battle and shaved the Catamount lead to just two points, 46-44, with 5:47 remaining when Swayne drained a three-pointer. The Bulldogs' Lindsey Montgomery answered with a lay-up to cut it back to three, 49-46, when Carroll nailed a three-pointer to push the Catamount lead back to six. It was the start of three straight treys for WCU as Clarke hit a three-pointer of her own to balloon the Catamount lead to nine, 55-46, with 3:56 left.

Western Carolina built its largest lead of the game of 14, 61-47, after Feemster hit a lay-up with 1:15 left in the game. The Catamounts shot 42.1 percent for the game while the Bulldogs were held to 33.9 percent from the field. WCU also got 20 points off 15 UNCA turnovers.

Western Carolina completes its three-game home stand on Saturday hosting Southern Conference foe Davidson. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in the Ramsey Center.