Cougars Fall to Catamounts, 80-68

Friday, December 19

Cullowhee, NC

7 p.m.

College of Charleston

Western Carolina

12/19/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: CofCSports.com

Emily Clarke scored 21 points, including 14 in the second half, to lead Western Carolina back from a 13-point halftime deficit to take the 80-68 victory over the College of Charleston women's basketball team in action tonight at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee, N.C.

Charleston falls to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina improves to 5-5 and 2-1 in the league.

After Nikki Williams (North, S.C.) opened the first half with a lay-up, the Cougars rattled off three straight three-pointers en-route to a 24-9 run over the first nine minutes. The Catamounts cut the margin to seven, 30-23, with 4:31 to go before Charleston ended the half with a 12-6 run to go into the locker room leading by 13, 42-29.

The second half was a reversal of the first half as the Catamounts opened the final 20 minutes with a 21-9 run to take its first lead of the game, 51-50, at the 13:44 mark. The game remained close the next seven-and-a-half minutes , with the Cougars able to tie the game at 63-63 with 5:09 to go. Charleston would only score five more the rest of the game, while the Catamounts posted 17 to take the eventual 80-68 win.

Western Carolina shot 53.6 percent from the field in the second half to finish the game with 46.4 percent. Charleston shot 41.5 from the field. After going six-for-15 from beyond the three-point line in the first half, the Cougars made just two in the second to finish with an eight-for-21 mark. WCU was eight-for-18. The Cougars were a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line.

The Catamounts were 20-for-24, as the Cougars held the 19-6 advantage in fouls. Western Carolina out-rebounded the Cougars 40-31, including a 24-17 advantage in defensive boards. WCU had more turnovers, 15-10, but of those 15, only four were in the second half.

Three Cougars scored in double-figures with Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) leading the way with 18. Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) followed with 14. Williams added 12 on the night. Kotcella and Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) paced the team in rebounds with six apiece.