MeFeb. 7, 2011

Box Score

Menendez and Middleton Post-Game Comments (AUDIO)

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball (6-17, 4-10 Southern Confernece) lost a noon game shoot out at UNC Greensboro (11-12, 8-7 SoCon) 57-53 Monday in Fleming Gymnasium.

Junior guard Kaila'Shea Menendez tied the game, at 53, when she hit a lay-up with 12 seconds left. UNC Greensboro took the lead off a lay-up by Monique Floyd with three seconds left in the contest. The Spartans ended the game with a four-point advantage when the Catamounts coughed up the in-bound pass, after Floyd's made basket, and Dayshaun Richbow scored for UNCG.

Menendez scored a career-high 22 points against UNCG and is the first Catamount player to record back-to-back 20 point games this season. She was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and hit a career-high four three-pointers.

The Catamounts trailed by six points at the half, 26-20, and were down by as much as 13 in the second. With 15:42 left in the game, WCU went on a 15-2 run that saw the Catamounts take its first lead of the second half when Menendez drained a three-pointer, 41-40. WCU would push the game to its largest lead of the half, three points, off a pair of free throws by Janae' McKinney.

UNCG tied the game at 43 when Floyd hit one of two free throws with 6:46 remaining. Twice the Spartans would build a five point lead in the final five minutes of the game. WCU tied the game in the final two minutes off the play of Menendez who scored the Catamounts final five points.

Western Carolina won most of the stat sheet categories, including outrebounding UNCG 42-31 and outscoring the Spartans in the second half 33-31. UNCG, however, scored 21 points off the Catamounts' 19 turnovers.

Rena Wakama was the only other Catamount to score in double figures with 10 points. Junior Caitlin Hollifield led the team with 10 rebounds and McKinney just missed a double double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Western Carolina returns home on Wednesday to host Wofford in a make-up game at 7 p.m. The game was a rescheduled contest from January 10 when the game was cancelled due to inclement weather.