Cougars Open SoCon Second Half with Trip to UNC Greensboro
1/20/2010 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
After starting the first half of the Southern Conference season with a school record 4-0 mark, the College of Charleston women's basketball team is hoping for the same results as the Cougars enter the second half at UNC Greensboro Saturday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m.
The 7-3 league mark was the best first half record for the Cougars since joining the league in 1998.
Charleston is 12-6 overall and had its winning streak snapped at three with a 66-63 loss to Appalachian State this past Monday. It was the first loss for the Cougars this season at the Carolina First Arena and the first since a Jan. 5, 2009 loss to Chattanooga. The 16-game home winning streak ranked 11th in the nation before the loss. The Cougars are 20-3 all-time at the facility.
Charleston is third in scoring defense as well as in field goal percentage defense in the league. The Cougars are also second in assists and second in assist/turnover ratio. Five Cougars are in the top 30 in scoring in the league, the most of any school. Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) is 12th while Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) is 15th. Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) is 16th and in 20th is Ericka Williams (Blackville, S.C.). Deidra Jones (Irmo, S.C.) rounds out the Cougar effort and is 26th. Jones is eighth in rebounding and third in offensive rebounds, while Gerty leads the league in assists and assist/turnover ratio.
UNC Greensboro is 7-11 overall and 4-6 in the SoCon after falling to Furman, 61-46, last Monday. The Spartans own the overall series record with a 20-9 mark, but the Cougars have won the last eight of 11 meetings, including a 71-60 decision earlier this year. The Spartans are led this season by Lakiah Hyson with 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. UNCG is third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.307) and lead in steals (11.7) as well as turnover margin (+2.00). UNCG is also second in offensive rebounds (13.8).
The Cougars stay on the road after facing the Spartans with a trek up the road to Burlington, N.C. for a 7 p.m. game with Elon Monday, Jan. 25.
