January 7, 2003
LADY PALADINS HIT .500 WITH 69-57
VICTORY OVER WESTERN CAROLINA;
LAWRENCE SCORES 1,000TH POINT, WAKE GRABS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Four Lady Paladins scored in double figures in a key Southern Conference matchup Wednesday night and Orion Wake recorded her third double-double in four games as Furman took a 69-57 decision over Western Carolina in Timmons Arena.
The victory was Furman’s first over the Catamounts since the 2001-02 season and marked just the fourth time this year Furman has outscored its opponent in the second half.
The first period was highlighted by three Laney Harris three-pointers and a three-for-three performance from the field for Wake. Western Carolina took its first lead at the 15:39 mark on a Tiffany Hamm field goal, and held a six-point advantage, 31-25 at the 5:00 mark. Harris, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday on Wednesday, hit a three-pointer at 3:58 to cut the advantage to three, then connected again at the 3:15 mark to tie the game at 31. Western Carolina had three chances to score on the next possesion, but a Kim Lawrence block and a Jen Nadalin rebound returned possession to Furman with 2:17 left in the period, and a Lawrence jumper gave the Lady Paladins their first lead since 15:39. With 40 seconds left on the clock Hamm scored her 15th point of the game and the teams entered the halftime locker room knotted at 33.
Furman started the second half with a 23-4 run and stretched its advantage to as many as 17 with 8:49 left in the game. The Catamounts chipped away at the Lady Paladin lead and reduced it to nine, 61-52, with 3:44 left in the half, but Furman’s tenacious defense kept the ball out of Hamm’s hands and forced WCU to take tough shots, resulting in the 69-57 Furman victory. In the second period Hamm scored just one point and ended the game as the only Catamount in double figures, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds.
Furman, meanwhile, was paced by Katie’ Roach's 13 points, while Laney Harris added 12. Deshara Shealey and Wake each chipped in 10, while Wake also pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, keying Furman’s 43-34 advantage on the boards. Lawrence scored eight on the night, but needed just seven to become the 15th woman in Furman history to score 1,000 points in her career.
"(At halftime) We really just talked about making adjustments we needed to make to control Hamm and (Yoneko) Allen," said Furman coach Sam Dixon. "They are oustanding players and with Hamm, as hard as we tried, she still got a double-double. She is averaging a double-double for the year and Yoneko Allen is a fantastic three-point shooter and we made some adjustments in terms of how to guard them and how to prepare for them. Also, I think our press wore them down. They are an oustanding free throw shooting team and I’m surprised that they missed some shots late in the game, but I have to give all the credit to our kids for their effort and their consistency."
With the win, Furman improves to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina falls to 4-8 overall and 3-2 in the league. The Lady Paladins will face Appalachian State on Saturday, Jan. 10, in a 1 p.m. game at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.