February 7, 2004
NADALIN LEADS FURMAN TO 74-62 WIN OVER APPALACHIAN STATE
GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furman forward Jen Nadalin recorded her second double-double of the year in leading the Lady Paladins to a 74-62 win over SoCon rival Appalachian State Saturday at Timmons Arena.
The Mountaineers forced 12 first-half Furman turnovers and held the Lady Paladins to 33.3% shooting from the field, while commiting just nine turnovers of their own. Though Furman held a 26-25 lead entering halftime, ASU continued to keep it close early in the second period, pulling ahead 27-26, and 37-34. After the Lady Paladins pulled ahead 42-39 on a Mivvi Strickland free throw, the Mountaineers answered yet again, taking the 44-43 lead on a Kiki Conyers jumper and a Lindsay Smith three pointer. This time, however, the Lady Paladins used a 19-5 run to take a 62-49 lead, and the Apps were never closer than 11 over the final 4:02.
“In the first half we were rushing ourselves and not moving the ball and moving ourselves,” said Furman coach Sam Dixon. “In the second half we made a more concentrated effort to have five people cut to the ball and five people execute and set good screens and that gave us a little easier passing lanes than we had in the first half.”
Nadalin emerged as Furman’s go-to player in the course of the game, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds and a career-best five steals. Seven of Nadalin’s points came in the second half, contributing to Furman’s 60.0% shooting from the field in that period. Deshara Shealey also scored 15 for the Lady Paladins and dished off a team-high five assists, while Kim Lawrence totaled 10 points and claimed four steals of her own. Shealey and Lawrence were both a perfect four-for-four from the line, though the team made only 55.3% (21-of-38) of its charity shots all day.
“Jen has really been playing great,” added Dixon. “She has been working hard at practice and working on her post moves. She is really active and light on her feet and she is just getting better and better everyday.”
The Mountaineers were paced in the game by point guard Kiki Conyers, who scored 18 and dished off five assists. Lindsay Smith added 15 points, including six on three-point shots, while Aisha Bryant paced the team on the boards with eight rebounds.
With the win Furman improves to 14-8 overall and 11-4 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State falls to 4-16 overall and 3-10 in league play. The Mountaineers will play at Wofford on Monday, Feb . 9, in a 7 p.m. game, while Furman enjoys a seven day break before facing College of Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 14, in a 1 p.m. matchup.