December 28, 2003
FURMAN FALLS 83-70 TO #15 VIRGINIA TECH; WILL FACE HOLY CROSS IN CLASSIC’S CONSOLATION ROUND
BLACKSBURG, Virginia -- Four Lady Paladin basketballers scored in double figures Sunday afternoon, but it was not enough to overcome the #15 Hokies as Virginia Tech defeated Furman 83-70 in round one of the Lady Luck Diamond Club Classic in Cassell Coliseum.
With 11:54 left in the first period Furman pulled out to a 14-12 advantage over the Hokies following an Orion Wake layup. Virginia Tech pulled even at 11:35 on a layup by Erin Gibson, then got the hot shooting hand to outscore the Lady Paladins 23-14 and take a 37-28 advantage into the halftime locker room. While Virginia Tech shot 48.4% from the field in the first half, the Lady Paladins connected on only 10-of-35 shots for a 28.6% mark.
After scoring just 28 points in the first half Furman totaled 42 second period points thanks in part to a .455 shooting mark from the field. At the half no one on the Lady Paladin team had reached the double figure mark, but Tommi Paris connected on three second half field goals and five free throws to lead the Lady Paladins with 14 points on the night. In the meantime, Orion Wake made three second half field goals and two free throws in totaling 12 points, while Jen Nadalin and Deshara Shealey each ended the game with 10.
The Hokies were paced by center Ieva Kublina, who poured in 17 second half points for 25 on the night, including a pair of three-point field goals and seven-of-seven shooting from the free throw line. Guard Carrie Mason and forward Erin Gibson each contributed 14 points to the Hokie effort, while Gibson established herself with the only double-double of the game, claiming 16 of Tech’s 38 rebounds.
With the victory the Hokies improve to 9-0 on the year while Furman falls to 3-5 overall. Furman will face the Crusaders of Holy Cross (4-6) Monday at 5 p.m. in the consolation round of the Lady Luck Diamond Club Classic. The Crusaders suffered an 85-56 loss to Wake Forest in the first game of the Classic, Sunday at 1 p.m.