College of Charleston
UNC Greensboro
College of Charleston rolls to 71-51 victory over UNC Greensboro
1/26/2009 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore guard Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) scored a game-high 20 points and dished out six assists as the College of Charleston (15-5, 8-4) handed UNC Greensboro (7-14, 4-8) a 71-51 defeat Monday evening in a Southern Conference women's basketball game at the Carolina First Arena. The victory marks the Cougars' seventh consecutive, dating back to a 64-53 victory over Appalachian State on January 10.
Trailing 23-13 with 6:48 remaining in the first half, the Cougars took control of the game as they went on a 20-3 run to close out the first half. Junior guard Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) fueled the run as she scored eight points, six of them coming on a pair of three-pointers, as Charleston took a 33-26 lead going into the break.
The Cougars continued their hot shooting at the start of the second half as they went on a 19-5 run over the first 7:10 to extend their lead to 52-33. Gerty led the way for Charleston during the stretch as she scored ten of her 20 points on a pair of three-pointers and layups. Overall, CofC outscored the Spartans by a score of 39-10 over a span of 13:58 stretching from the 6:48 mark in the first half. The Cougars then maintained at least a 15-point lead the rest of the way as they closed out the 71-51 victory.
At the beginning of the game, Charleston jumped out to 9-4 lead by the 15:15 mark behind a three-pointer and jumper from Gerty. The Spartans quickly fought back though as they put together a 17-2 run over the next 4:43 to take a commanding 21-11 lead. At that point, both teams' shooting went cold as neither club managed a point over the next 3:07 before trading baskets to make it 23-13. That set the stage for the Cougars' 39-10 run that decided the game.
UNC Greensboro was led by junior guard Lakiah Hyson with 10 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Gini Grimsley added eight points and five rebounds. Sophomore forward Kendra Smith finished with eight points and freshman guard Sarah Folwell chipped in with six points, and 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line.
For the Cougars, Gerty led the way with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, four of which were three-pointers. She also added six assists and five rebounds, while junior forward Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) came within one of her career high with 11 rebounds and added nine points on the night. Hughes finished with 11 points and two steals, and senior forward Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) added nine points and five rebounds.
The victory marks the first seven-game win streak at the Division I level for the Cougars and is the first since the 1988-89 team compiled seven victories from January 23 through February 11. Earlier that same season, the Cougars notched an 11-game win streak from November 14 through December 10.
The Cougars return to the court on Saturday, January 31 when they host Western Carolina at the Carolina First Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
NOTES
The Cougars' 15th victory of the season marks only the third time at the Division I level the team has reached that plateau.
