February 14, 2004
FURMAN HOLDS OFF LATE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON RALLY
CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- The Cougars of College of Charleston staged a late rally behind the three-point shooting of Rachel King Saturday at John Kresse Arena, but it was not enough to overcome Furman’s Lady Paladins, who claimed a 68-61 Southern Conference road win.
The Lady Paladins handled the Cougars easily in the first period, outscoring C of C 26-6 in the paint and 12-2 off turnovers. Using 45.0 % shooting from the field and a 9-for-12 (.750) mark from the line, Furman took a 39-20 advantage into the halftime locker room.
The second period seemed destined to copy the first and Furman held a 26-point, 51-25 advantage with 14:19 left to play. Cougar guard Rachel King heated up, however, and hit four three pointers, beginning at the 11:04 mark, and Charleston closed the gap quickly, pulling to within five, 62-57, with 1:43 to go. Deshara Shealey scored six of Furman’s final eight points to secure the Lady Paladin victory and keep Furman second in the Southern Conference standings.
The Lady Paladins were led on the day by Shealey’s 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Jen Nadalin contributed 18 and Tommi Paris totaled 10. King led the C of C effort with 17 points, while Patrice Bryant added 12.
With the victory, Furman improves to 15-8 overall and 12-4 in the Southern Conference, while College of Charleston falls to 5-19 overall and 3-14 in the league. The Lady Paladins will face Georgia Southern on Monday, Feb. 16, in a 7 p.m. game in Statesboro, while Charleston hosts Wofford Monday at 7 p.m.