College of Charleston
Georgia Southern
Moye, Gerty Pace Cougars to 52-42 Win over Georgia Southern
1/19/2009 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Senior forward Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the College of Charleston (12-5, 6-4) defeated Georgia Southern (11-8, 6-4) Monday evening in a Southern Conference women's basketball game at the Carolina First Arena in Charleston, South Carolina. The victory moves the Cougars into fourth place in the conference.
Trailing 25-24 with 17:04 remaining in the second half, Charleston used a 16-5 run over the next 8:50 to take a commanding 40-30 lead at the 8:14 mark. The Eagles quickly battled back to within 40-35 with 6:15 to play before the teams traded the next four baskets to make it 44-39 with 3:56 remaining in the game.
A three-pointer by sophomore guard Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) then keyed a 7-1 run that helped the Cougars close out the game with a 52-42 victory. Previously, Georgia Southern had taken three of the last four matchups and entered the game holding a 23-6 advantage in the all-time series.
In the first half, it was a defensive battle as neither team would garner more than a four-point lead as the two clubs fought through three ties and five lead changes. Following a 6-2 lead by Charleston to open the game, GSU responded with a 7-0 run to take a 9-6 advantage at the 12:55 mark. With the score at 11-8, the Cougars propelled into the lead with a 6-0 run fueled by a three-point play by junior center NeShonda McLaurin (McColl, S.C.) and a three-pointer by junior forward Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) to go up 14-11.
It would be short lived, however, as freshman guard Samantha Williams answered right back with a three-pointer of her own, knotting the score at 14-14 with 7:11 left in the half. A basket by junior guard Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) gave Charleston back the lead at 16-14 before another three-pointer, this one by sophomore guard Jaime Navarro, made it 17-16, Georgia Southern. Back-to-back baskets by Kotcella and Gerty then closed the half for the Cougars and sent them into the break with a 20-17 lead.
A 6-2 run to start the second half gave the Eagles a 23-22 advantage before a pair of free throws gave CofC back the lead at 24-23. A basket by senior guard Ashley Melson then made it 25-24 and set the stage for the Cougars second half rally.
Junior forward J'Lisa Ogburn led Georgia Southern with a game-high 15 points, 13 in the second half, and pulled down a game-high tying nine rebounds. Melson finished the night with 10 points as the only other double-figure scorer for the Eagles. Senior guard Ashley Rivens grabbed seven rebounds on the evening.
For Charleston, Moye led the way with 10 points and seven rebounds while Gerty finished with 10 points. Junior center Deidra Jones (Irmo, S.C.) put in a solid night's work with eight points and nine rebounds, five of which were on the offensive glass, and junior guard Ericka Williams (Blackville, S.C.) pulled down eight boards. Hughes setup the offense with a game-high seven assists and added six points herself while Kotcella added six points and five rebounds.
The Cougars take a break from the conference schedule to travel to Savannah, Georgia for a date with the Savannah Tigers on Wednesday, January 21. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
