Box Score Jan. 25, 2010
Box Score
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball (3-16, 2-8 SoCon) dropped a 75-65 decision at Davidson (10-10, 7-4 SoCon) Monday, at the John M. Belk Arena.
For the fifth time this season, junior Emily Clarke scored 20 or more points with a team-leading 22 points against the Wildcats. In the second half, when the team hit a combined 17 field goals, Clarke accounted for seven of them, including three three-pointers, in the final 20 minutes.
Western Carolina had to battle back from a 12 point deficit in the first half, 32-20, and only hitting just six field goals in the first frame. The Catamounts shot an anemic 22.2 percent in the first half but kept the game close thanks to hitting 7-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Four times Davidson held its largest lead over the Catamounts, 17 points, holding that advantage for the last time with 11:03 remaining. Western Carolina began a 10-2 run, which began with a Clarke lay-up, to cut the Wildcat lead to nine, with 7:40 left.
Sophomore Kaila'Shea Menendez hit a lay-up and was fouled, and had a chance to cut the Davidson lead to eight, but missed her free throw. The Wildcats pushed the lead back to double digits when Monica Laune answered on the other end with a jumper.
With 4:08 left, Western Carolina again trimmed the Wildcat lead to single digits, 62-54, off pair of free throws by Caitlin Hollifield. Again Laune had an answer, nailing a three-pointer to push the Davidson lead back to 11.
A Hollifield lay-up cut the game to nine, 65-56, with 1:55 remaining but Kristen Johnson hit 1-of-2 free throws to push it back to 10 points.
In the final 33 seconds of the game, senior guard Jessica Jackson hit back-to-back-back three-pointers and then proceeded to foul Wildcat guard Alex Thompson. All three times, Thompson was perfect at the line and ended the game 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
Jackson just missed tying her career-high with 14 points against Davidson. Her four made three-pointers were a career-high.
As a team, Western Carolina boasted a season-high nine blocks against Davidson. Hollfield led the team with two.
The Catamounts doubled its field goal percentage in the second half, shooting 44.7 percent. Western Carolina shot 35.4 percent for the game. Davidson shot 41.1 percent. The Wildcats also got 27 points from its bench and the Catamounts got 12.
The game at Davidson ended Western Carolina's four-game road swing. The Catamounts return home for two games beginning Saturday, hosting Georgia Southern at 2 p.m.
NOTES:
Kristen Feemster pulled down seven rebounds against Davidson. She needs just eight boards to reach the Western Carolina 500 Rebound Club.
Emily Clarke's 22 points pushed her even closer to the 1,000-point mark. She now has 834 points in her career.
