Greensboro, N.C. – Freshman Tina Bowers led a Western Carolina comeback bid against UNC Greensboro on Sunday afternoon, scoring 12 of her career-high 14 points in the 22-point fourth quarter for the Catamounts, but the team's late-game push fell just short as the Spartans claimed the 55-46 win.
Bowers led three Catamounts in scoring, as Ary Dizon and Taj Hunter both broke double figures as well, notching 12 and 10 points respectively. Dizon also contributing five blocked shots. Ally Hollifield led the team with five rebounds and three steals.
UNCG's Jeni Levine, the SoCon's leading scorer, continued her run of offensive success, with 19 points and four rebounds. She was the only Spartan to score in double figures, though Tasia Johnson went for 11 boards, four assists, two points, and two steals.
WCU (3-18, SoCon 0-7) remains on the road for the week as it is scheduled to face the Samford Bulldogs on Feb. 5, while UNCG (13-9, SoCon 3-4) swings down to Georgia to battle the Mercer Bears on the same date.
How it Happened:
After two early buckets in the first 30 seconds of play, one by either team, the two squads entered an offensive lull as the game remained knotted at 4-4 with 2:50 to play. The Spartans broke the scoring drought first, but Ary Dizon tied it again at 6-6 before UNCG's Jeni Levine hit her first of two 3-pointers in the game. UNCG took a 9-7 lead into the second quarter.
UNCG grew that lead with a strong 16-point frame, eventually commanding a 25-15 lead going into halftime. A 7-0 run before the media timeout gave the Spartans some cushion, and a 4-1 close to the quarter gave UNCG the 10-point advantage.
The Spartans again built a sizable lead in the third quarter, outpacing the Catamounts 18-9 out of the locker room. UNCG scored the first five points out of the break, separate spurts of seven and six points gave the home team a 43-24 lead going into the fourth quarter.
A quick pair of free throws by Taj Hunter gave the Catamounts early momentum in the fourth, with Tina Bowers erupting for eight consecutive WCU points on her own as the Catamounts cut the deficit to 11 early. Four points by Hunter and Ally Hollifield pulled WCU within seven before a 6-1 answer by UNCG again stretched the lead to double-digits.
UNCG built its lead back to as much as 14, but a 5-0 close to the game for the Catamounts resulted in the 55-46 final.
By the Numbers:
Playing 30 minutes of her hometown of Liberty, N.C., Tina Bowers enjoyed her strongest offensive game of the season, posting 12 points in the fourth quarter and a career-best 14 points overall. The freshman entered the fourth quarter in Greensboro, shooting 2-of-10 from deep this season, but went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers to close out the game.
Neither team shot particularly efficiently in the contest as the Catamounts finished 32.6% from the field and the Spartans connected on 33.3% of their shots. However, UNCG recorded a higher volume of shots, going 22-of-66 compared to WCU's 14-of-43.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
Western Carolina remains on the road as the Catamounts face the Samford Bulldogs (Feb. 5) and the Mercer Bears (Feb. 7). The Catamounts then return home to host the Furman Paladins on Feb. 12 and the Wofford Terriers on Feb. 14.
