Huge Second Half Propels Furman Past CCU, 81-51

CONWAY, SC - Coastal Carolina women's basketball team hit a number of big 3-point shots to keep the game close early, but Furman's size and athletic ability eventually prevailed in an 81-51 victory Friday night at Kimbel Arena. Leading by seven at the break, the Lady Paladins (5-3) upped the lead to 40-25 in the first four minutes of the new period, then turned the game into a rout with an 18-0 run midway through the second half.

Furman scored the first five points of the game before the Lady Chants (3-4) came roaring back, as Nikki Reddick buried two quick 3-pointers. Whitney Shearer and Molly Meeks also followed with treys as CCU took its largest lead of the night, 12-8, but the Lady Paladins answered back as Monica Pope's basket capped an 11-2 run. Reddick hit a runner through the lane to cut the gap to 19-16 with eight minutes to play, but Coastal would get no closer, trailing 30-23 at the break.

Althea Bufford scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead Furman, while Pope added 16 points and Kim Lawrence 12 as the Lady Paladins shot 53 percent for the game, outscoring Coastal 42-12 in the paint. As in each contest this season, Reddick was the game's high-scorer, tallying 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting, as the Lady Chants were held to a season-low 29 percent from the field. Freshman Courtney Brown added a career-high 11 points as the only other player in double-digits for CCU.

Coastal returns to action Sunday, December 16, when it hosts the College of Charleston at 3:30 pm, while the Lady Paladins will be traveling to Mexico for the Cancun Invitational.