Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina women's basketball was iced by Southern Conference leading, and No. 20 ranked, Chattanooga 66-41 Monday in the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts fall to 9-17 and 1-10 in the Southern Conference while Chattanooga improves to 23-3 and 11-0 in the SoCon.

After scoring just 11 points in the first half, Western Carolina's lowest first-half scoring of the season, the Catamounts were narrowly outscored by Chattanooga in the second half 31-30. The Catamounts also heated up its scoring percentage going from 17.4 percent in the first half to 50 percent in the second.

Western Carolina scored five of its 11 first-half points in the first eight minutes. The Catamounts trailed just 5-2 to open the game but Chattanooga went on a 10-1 run to build a 12-point, 15-3, lead with 13:01 left in the half. The jump start in scoring was all Chattanooga needed to pull ahead of the Catamounts and never look back.

Trailing 35-11 at the half, Western Carolina found itself in a hole it could never really recover from. However, the Catamounts fought through the deficit. Though the Chattanooga lead never dipped below 28 points after the 16:49 mark of the second half, Western Carolina continued to battle and hit baskets.

Western Carolina bumped its overall shooting for the game to 32.6 percent, after shooting 17.4 percent in the first half. Chattanooga was scorching from the field shooting 50.8 percent. The Lady Mocs also forced 20 Catamount turnovers scoring 24 points from Catamount miscues. Chattanooga also got 46 points inside the paint. The Catamounts made the most of its trips to the free throw line hitting 12-of-13. Western Carolina hit only one three pointer in the game to the Lady Mocs' five.

Senior guard Justin Taylor led Western Carolina with 11 points, scoring nine of those points in the second half. Freshman guard Ace Easter added 10. Chattanooga's Jasmine Joyner led all scorers with 18. Chelsey Shumpert added 13 and Keiana Gilbert had 10.

Western Carolina will host Wofford Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men who will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. Catamount seniors Ali Lane, Makensey Campbell and Justin Taylor will be honored before the game.

Note: Senior guard Justin Taylor now has 435 points this season, after scoring 11 points against Chattanooga. She moves to 13th in the Catamount record books for points scored in a season. She needs 11 more points to take over 12th. The record for most points scored in a season is 544 by Catamount Athletics' Hall of Fame member Jayne Arledge who had 544 in 1978-79 season.