JANUARY 26, 2004
RELEASE: UPON RECEIPT FURMAN HANDS BUCS FIRST HOME LOSS OF THE SEASON, 80-68
JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee -- The Furman women’s basketball team used a balanced attack and tenacious defense to hand the Bucs of East Tennessee State their first home loss of the season, 80-68, Monday night in the Memorial Center.
Senior ETSU guard Kiya Verdell lit up the first half, scoring 17 points with three of her seven field goals coming from beyond the three-point arc. Furmans stayed in the game by sinking 11-of-16 first half free throws, while ETSU made one of six shots from the charity stripe. The Bucs took an early lead on a pair of Verdell three pointers, but Furman chipped away at the Bucs’ lead and tied the game for the first time at eight. Though the Lady Paladins pulled ahead 9-8 on a free throw by Princess Wells, ETSU went on a 16-4 run to pull ahead 24-13 with 10:51 left in the period. Furman was unable to regain the lead in the first half, but tied the game on a Katie Roach layup with 19 seconds remaining and entered the halftime locker room with the game knotted at 37.
In the second half the Furman defense tightened up and and Furman’s inside game opened up, as the Lady Paladins went on a 16-7 run to open the half and take a 53-44 lead. Junior forward Jen Nadalin scored 12 second half points and 18 on the night for a new season high, and grabbed 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the year. Deshara Shealey also scored 18 and Kim Lawrence contributed 10, while Shealey added five assists and six steals to her numbers.
The Bucs were paced by Verdell’s 27 points. Brooke Wilhoit added 12, while B.J. Banjo contributed 10 and Tiffani Mayes scored 10 with 19 rebounds.
“In the second period we had better focus defensively and were more committed to stopping their dribble penetration,” said head coach Sam Dixon. “We also did a better job rebounding and denying them second and third shots.”
With the win Furman improves to 10-8 overall and 7-4 in Southern Conference play, while the Bucs fall to 8-9 overall and 8-4 in the league. Furman will play at Elon on Thursday, Jan. 29, in a 7 p.m. game.