College of Charleston
East Carolina
Women?s Basketball Captures Victory in Home Opener
11/12/2011 1:14:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Freshman Mikaela Hopkins recorded a double-double with 14 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead the College of Charleston women's basketball team to a 58-43 victory over East Carolina on Friday night at TD Arena.
The Cougars (1-0), who improved to 12-5 in season openers under head coach Nancy Wilson lead 25-22 at halftime, but used a 13-3 second half run to break open the game.
In addition to Hopkins, fellow freshman Christy Hewatt (14 points) and junior Cathryn Hardy (13 points) also scored in double-figures for the Cougars. Hopkins 17 rebounds are tied for fourth all-time in CofC history.
Wilson has always stressed defense to her team and the Cougars responded by allowing only 43 points to a team that averaged 70 points per game last season.
The Cougars also forced 24 turnovers and held the Pirates (0-1) to 25.4 percent shooting from the field. The defense was especially evident on limiting ECU 3-point opportunities as the Pirates were just 2-for-20 from beyond-the-arc in the game. CofC outrebounded ECU 49-39.
The Cougars will now embark on a three-game road trip starting with a matchup at Coastal Carolina on Monday Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
Quotes
Head Coach Nancy Wilson
In General
"I didn't know what to expect today. We have felt good about this team. I thought we came out with a lot of energy and played really well tonight. We got great play from our freshman and from our upperclassmen as well."
Freshman Center Mikaela Hopkins
On her 14 points and 17 rebounds in her first game of career
"I wasn't expecting to do that. I didn't even think I would get that much playing time tonight. When I got the chance to go in I made the most of it and worked hard. I felt a lot more comfortable than I did in our exhibition game. In that game I was so nervous and I was praying coach wouldn't put me in. This game I knew I had to step up."
Freshman Christy Hewatt
On playing in front of a lot of people late in the game
"It was an awesome experience. It was a big momentum changer for us. We made baskets and it got louder and louder."
On playing in first game
"The team was really supportive of us. Everything we did good it was nice to have them back up, or if we did something bad they hold us to shake it off and not worry about it. The team helped us a lot."
