Cougar Comeback Falls Short, Lose to UNCG 59-58 - CofCSports.com--Official Web site of College of Charleston Athletics

Monday, February 13

John Kresse Arena

4:30pm

College of Charleston

UNCG

Cougar Comeback Falls Short, Lose to UNCG 59-58 - CofCSports.com--Official Web site of College of Charleston Athletics

2/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

#articleRelated { display: none !important; } The College of Charleston fought back from a ten-point second-half deficit only to fall just short in the final seconds as UNC Greensboro held on for the 59-58 victory in Southern Conference women's basketball action Monday night in front of 326 fans at the John Kresse Arena.

UNCG held a three point, 59-56, lead in the closing seconds of regulation when Charleston's Anne Hunter was fouled in the process of taking a 3-point shot. Hunter calmly buried the first two shots. The Spartans called a timeout to ice the shooter and it worked as Hunter's third attempt rattled off the rim and the clock ran out with UNCG's KaLeah Latham holding on to the rebound.

Irene Otamiri scored a team-high 12 points for UNCG (13-11, 9-6 SoCon). Sophomore guard Kemena Brooks scored in double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games with 10 points. Latham added nine, while sophomore center Meghan Chamberlain and sophomore guard Kristen Boone each tossed in eight points respectively.

Jade Hughes paced Charleston (10-13, 7-8 SoCon) with 12 points, while Erika Smith added 10 points for the Cougars, who have now dropped three in a row.

Latham would give the Spartans a seemingly comfortable 12 point, 41-29, lead on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the 16:17 mark of the second half. The margin was quickly cut down to four, 47-43, after a 14-6 Cougar run, which was capped by a trey by Hughes.

Brooks and Otamiri drilled consecutive 3-pointers to put UNCG back up ten, 53-43, with 9:04 left in regulation, but six straight points by the Cougars made it a 53-49 affair with 6:54 to go. A Hughes' trey with under a minute to play got Charleston within three, 59-56, setting up the drama at the end of the game by Hunter.

After Charleston opened the game with a 3-pointer by Hughes, UNCG ran off a 19-4 run to grab an early 19-7 lead by the 9:21 mark of the first half. Chamberlain scored five points in the spurt, while the Cougars went 8:26 without scoring to fuel the spurt for the Spartans.

Eight straight points by Charleston, capped by a Moye jumper at the 5:86 mark, cut the Cougars deficit to 19-15. The Spartans went back up 10, 31-21, on a fast-break layup by Brooks in the final minute of the first half, before UNCG went into halftime leading 32-23.

Charleston held a slim 42-41 rebounding advantage. UNCG shot 38.7 percent (23-for-63) from the field, while the Cougars shot 36.1 percent (22-for-61). The Spartans had a 15-9 lead in points off turnovers, but Charleston had a 14-7 advantage in second chance points.

UNCG returns home to host local and league-foe Elon on Saturday at Fleming Gym beginning at 2 pm. Meanwhile, Charleston steps out of conference and visits Savannah State on Wednesday at 7 pm.