March 8, 2009

Box Score |   

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Western Carolina captured its 20th win of the season, but more importantly, the 66-53 victory over No. 2 seed Samford (22-7), in the semi-finals of the Southern Conference Tournament, earned the Lady Catamounts its third-straight trip to the SoCon Finals. The Lady Catamounts will face No. 4 seed College of Charleston at 3 p.m. Monday in the McKenzie Arena and will be televised on SportSouth.

It is the third-straight year Western Carolina (20-11) has won 20 or more games under Head Coach Kellie Harper. The Lady Catamounts have now reached the finals of the tournament five out of the last six years.

Brooke Johnson scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the second half in leading a comeback from a first half deficit. The 6-4 senior center also had game highs with six rebounds, three blocks and a career-high four steals, while making a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line as WCU made 17-of-19 attempts (89.5 percent) for the game, 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) in the second half. Johnson's three blocks gives her 126 in her career and she needs just two to break the Western Carolina record for blocks in a career.

Samford (22-7) led by as many as seven in the first half going up 25-18 with 2:29 to play on a Monica Maxwell free throw. Emily London's two free throws with 20 seconds left gave the Bulldogs a 29-25 halftime margin.

The Lady Catamounts stormed out of intermission with a 15-2 run to take control of the game on a Kristen Feemster lay-up to make it 42-33 at 13:49.

The Bulldogs closed to within four, 48-44, on a lay-up by London at the 10-minute mark. But the Lady Catamounts were not to be denied. WCU took its largest lead of 15 points, 66-51, on two Johnson free throws with 1:35 left in the game before settling for the 66-53 win.

Western Carolina dominated from the inside, out-scoring Samford 34-18 in the paint and out-rebounding the Bulldogs 33-20. The Catamounts registered 13 second chance points to zero for Samford.

The Bulldogs were led by Chiki Okoli with 16 points. Maxwell chipped in 10 points while tying for game-high honors with six boards.

It is the fifth straight game Western Carolina has held its opponent below 60 points.