March 1, 2002

FURMAN'S CARTER EARNS 300TH WIN WITH 72-58 QUARTERFINAL VICTORY OVER WCU

CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- Furman head coach Sherry Carter picked up the 300th victory of her collegiate career Friday night with a 72-58 quarterfinal win over Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Championships at McAlister Field House.

Five Lady Paladins scored in double figures as Furman stretched a two-point halftime lead into a 14-point victory.

"I thought we came out very tight in the first half," said Carter. "But I thought with about first minutes to go in the first period we started to settle and then in the second half we played our game and looked more like the team we really are."

The victory pushed Furman's season record to 17-11 and set up a semifinal matchup against second seeded UNC Greensboro for Saturday at approximately 2:30 p.m., at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Furman game will follow a noon semifinal between top seeded Chattanooga and fifth-seeded Wofford, who scored a slight upset on Friday over the fourth seeded Eagles of Georgia Southern.

On Friday, the Lady Paladins were led by sophomore All Conference pick Deshara Shealey, who scored 14, while Althea Bufford added 13, Mary Brock scored 12 with 11 rebounds, Monica Pope totaled 11, and Orion Wake contributed 10.