College of Charleston
Furman
Second Half Surge Leads Cougars to 64-55 Victory over Paladins
12/22/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Five Cougars scored in double figures as the College of Charleston women's basketball team overcame poor shooting in the first half to take the 64-55 victory over Furman in action tonight in front of 376 fans at the Carolina First Arena.
Charleston improves to 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the Southern Conference, while Furman falls to 5-6 and 1-3 in the league. The Cougars' 4-0 home record is the best start for the team since beginning the 2004-05, 4-0 at home.
The Cougars shot just 28.6 percent in the first half but a 5-for-10 effort from beyond the three-point line kept them in the game and only trailed by two, 30-28, at the half.
In the second half, Charleston broke open a 34-34 tie with 16:04 remaining, by going on a 13-3 run over the next eight minutes to take a 47-37 lead with 8:05 left. Furman responded with a 10-2 run to cut the margin to two at 49-47 with 5:40 to go. That would be as close as the Paladins would get as the Cougars outscored Furman 15-8 down the stretch to take the nine-point 64-55 win.
Charleston shot 56.0 percent in the second half to finish the game with 40.0 percent. Furman shot 34.8 percent for the game. The Cougars out-rebounded the Paladins 36-34 and had six less turnovers, 15-21. The Paladins were 18-for-19 from the free throw line, compared to just eight-for-13 for the Cougars.
Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) led the scoring for the Cougars with 13. Nikki Williams (North, S.C.) and Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) each scored 12 apiece, while Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, N.C.) and Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) added 11 each. Kotcella led the Cougars in rebounds with nine.
Melissa Liebschwager led Furman with 12 points. Katie Johnson followed with 11. Kali Holtfreter paced the team in rebounds with six.
Charleston hosts USC Aiken Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 1:00 p.m. Furman travels up the road to face Charleston Southern Monday, Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m.
