February 18, 1999

FURMAN SNAPS FOUR GAME SKID

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furmanıs Lady Paladin basketball team snapped a four game losing streak Thursday night at Timmons Arena, with a 68-59 decision over the Mocs of Chattanooga.

UTC jumped out to an early lead and held as much as a seven-point advantage with 10:30 left in the first half. Just before the break, however, the Lady Paladins took the lead on a pair of Kena Hodgesı free throws and held a 31-28 advantage at the half.

In the first 10 minutes of the second period, the Lady Paladins outscored UTC 14-4 to hold the largest lead of the night, a 10-point, 45-35 advantage, with 10:56 to go in the game. The Mocs continued to chip away at the Lady Paladins and pulled to within five with 2:30 to go, but Furman sank seven of eight free throws down the stretch to pull out the victory.

Furman junior Jackie Smith claimed her 11th double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Kena Hodges scored her third double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Amy King led Furman scoring with 16 points, while senior Heidi White tallied 10 points to celebrate senior night.

The Mocs were led by Denise Groomsı 13 points, Heather Dykesı 12, and Katarika Banksı 11. Terri Brock led UTC rebounding efforts with a team-high nine boards.

With the victory Furman improves to 13-13 overall and 10-8 on the year and will finish fifth in the Southern Conference regular season. The Lady Paladins will face fourth-seeded Davidson at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, at the Southern Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Mocs end the regular season with a 10-16 overall record and 8-10 mark in league play.