Cougars Continue Six-Game Road Trip with Trek to Western Carolina
1/7/2011 4:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The College of Charleston women's basketball team travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to take on the Western Carolina Catamounts Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. It is the fifth straight road game for the Cougars, who are currently in the middle of a six-game trek.
Western Carolina leads the Cougars 23-13 in the overall series between the schools, including a 22-5 mark in Division I. Charleston has taken the last three of four games, including a sweep last season. CofC won, 74-71, in the last meeting, in Cullowhee. Four Cougars scored double-figures in the effort, including a 16-point effort from Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.).
The Cougars (4-10, 1-4) are led by Gerty with 11.1 points per game, followed by Janae Smith (Matteson, Ill.) with 9.5 a game. Latisha Harris (Aynor, S.C.) and Deidre Ramer (Franklin, Tenn.) pace the team in rebounds with 4.9 a game.
Western Carolina is 4-10 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference after earning a 60-48 win over Davidson for its first home win of the season. The Catamounts are led by Caitlin Hollifield with 10.0 points a game and Kaila'She Menendez with 9.9. Janae' McKinney is top in rebounds with 7.2 a game.
The Cougars are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Charleston has not lost six in a row since dropping its last 10 of the 2006-07 season. During the stretch the Cougars have shot just 31.3 percent and are being outscored by 18.4 points. Despite the record, Charleston is averaging 42.2 rebounds a game, compared to 40.8 for the opposition. Free throws have been better with the Cougars holding the .695-.659 edge.
Charleston is 2-6 on the road so far this year and has been outscored 53.1-68.0 and have been out-rebounded 40.6-46.1. On a positive side, the Cougars take more shots, 466-461. The Cougars fair a little better at home, with just a -7.0 point differential. Charleston holds a 38.2-34.5 rebounding advantage. CofC is 2-4 at home this year.
In the four games won by the Cougars this season, they have shot better (.369-.343). Rebounds are fairly even with Charleston holding a slight 37.8-37.5 advantage. Charleston has just a few less turnovers, 82-89, and a few more steals, 43-34. The games have been tight, with the point differential only 4.3.
The final road game of the swing is at Wofford Jan. 13 at 6 p.m.
