Dec. 30, 2010

Box Score

Middleton Post-Game Comments (AUDIO)

HARRISBURG, Va. - Western Carolina women's basketball (3-9) dropped its final non-conference game of the season 82-47 to James Madison (7-5) Thursday at the JMU Convocation Center. The Catamounts hit just 11 field goals in the game, seven of them three pointers. WCU was 18-of-28 from the free throw line, accounting for almost half of the team's total points.

Western Carolina dug itself a hole it could never recover from, hitting only three field goals in the first half. The Catamounts scored seven of its 14 points from the free throw line, hitting 7-of-14.

James Madison had a chance to balloon its lead, in the first half, with 12 trips to the free throw line, but could only manage to hit two of its freebies from the charity stripe. The Catamounts got a pair of field goals from Kaila'Shea Menendez, who was also 3-of-7 from the free throw line in the first half, and a three pointer by Emily Clarke.

The Catamounts did pick up its scoring a bit in the second half, hitting seven field goals in the final 20 minutes. James Madison struggled from the free throw line, hindering its chance to push the score even further, hitting only 6-of-21 from the freebie line.

Clarke led the Catamounts with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half, and hitting four three pointers. She fouled out with 4:03 left in the game. Menendez added 11 points, with seven of her points from the free throw line.

James Madison's Dawn Evans, the nation's leading scorer averaging 26.1 points per game, had 15 points in the game.

Western Carolina hosts UNC Greensboro on Monday in the first of a four-game Southern Conference home stand. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.