Nov. 29, 2010

Box Score |     Middleton and Hunnicutt Post-Game Comments (AUDIO)

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball (1-4, 0-1 SoCon) dropped its Southern Conference home opener to Samford (4-2, 1-0 SoCon) 63-48 Monday in the Ramsey Center.

For the third time in five games, Western Carolina was led in scoring by junior guard Kaila'Shea Menendez. The Raleigh, N.C. native scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half and was 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Junior forward Caitlin Hollifield notched her fourth double figure scoring performance of the young season, with 13, and also had a season high two blocks and ripped down a team-leading eight rebounds. Senior guard Kendra Carroll added 10 points.

Tied at six with 16:13 left in the first half, Western Carolina reeled off six straight points. The run began with a field goal by Menendez and one made foul shot, and was capped by a lay-up by Emily Clarke who had just come off the bench. Samford halted the run with a three pointer by Emily London which began a 15-0 run by the Bulldogs. London had two three pointers in the scoring frenzy by Samford.

With two minutes left in the half, and down by seven, Menendez scored five points, a field goal and 3-of-3 from the free throw line, to trim the Samford lead to two points, 24-22. In the final minute, Paige Anderson and London hit back-to-back field goals back to push Samford's lead back to six points. With 10 seconds left, Clarke hit a jumper and WCU trailed by four, 28-24 at the half.

Janae'McKinney opened the second half with a lay-up and Western Carolina was down by its smallest margin of the second half, 28-26. Western Carolina had a chance to tie the game but McKinney missed a lay-up under the basket and Samford pulled down the rebound and converted it to a score with a jumper by Savannah Hill.

A jumper by Carroll, with 13:55 left shaved Samford's lead to three, 36-33, and that was the closest the Catamounts would get again in the game to the Bulldogs. A Samford 9-0 run, in a two minute span, built a double figure lead, 45-33, and the Bulldogs held the double digit advantage the rest of the game.

Twice in the final four minutes, of the game, Western Carolina cut the Samford lead to 13 points. With 4:20 left, Diamond Hunnicutt hit her third three-pointer of the season, and third in two games, to make the score 57-44. In the final two minutes, Hollifield hit one of two free throws to again drop the lead to 13, but Samford answered with a three-pointer by Ruth Ketcham.

Samford won the rebounding war over Western Carolina 32-28. The turnovers were even at 15 but Samford converted its turnovers into 19 points. Western Carolina had just four points from its bench to Samford's 13.

Western Carolina continues its three- game home stand by hosting a non-conference match-up with No. 14/15 Florida State. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.