Semifinal 2: Samford sends Apps home, 66-53

First half turnovers and fouls contributed heavily to the demise of Appalachian State’s SoCon Tournament run Saturday afternoon.

After going down 7-0 early in the first half, the Bulldogs hit four 3-pointers to go on a quick 12-2 run to take a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the day.

Mountaineer freshman Anna Freeman picked up her second foul at the 10 minute mark in the first half, and she and fellow freshman had 3 apiece with over 15 minutes left to play in the game.

The Apps also struggled with ball control, turning the ball over 23 times for 25 Samford points.

ASU played the Bulldogs tighter in the second half, but could not muster more than two possessions’ worth of momentum and only once cut the lead to less than 10.

The loss closes the most successful SoCon Tournament run the Apps have had since 1999 when they won the championship.

The Bulldogs advance to the finals Monday at 5:30 p.m.

The game will pit the teams with the all-time least tournament game appearances (Samford with four) and the all-time most tournament game appearances (Chattanooga with 54).

The Mocs are also 12-0 all time in SoCon Championship games.

Semifinal 1: Chattanooga advances to 12th SoCon Championship Game

Georgia Southern opened with a 10-3 run in the first four minutes, but Chattanooga’s all-conference seniors and second half defense propelled the Mocs to a  60-49 semifinal victory at Time Warner Cable Arena Sunday in Charlotte.

Trailing by only three at the 11 minute mark in the first half, the Eagles fell victim to an eight-minute 13-3 run they were never able to recover from.

By the time Ogburn got back in the game, the Eagles were too worn down to mount any sort of assault on the Mocs’ lead.

Chattanooga managed to hold Georgia Southern to only two field goals in the final 11 minutes of the game, including one unguarded layup at the buzzer.

With the win the Mocs advance to the SoCon Championship game, where they are 12-0 all-time.

The finals will be at 5 p.m. against the winner of this afternoon’s 2:30 semifinal between Appalachian State and Samford.

Quarterfinal 4: Appalachian advances over Furman, 71-53

No. 11 Furman gave No.3 Appalachian State a run for their money in the first period of the final quarterfinal game of the SoCon Tournament, but the second half was all ASU as it held a lead that grew as high as 18 en route to a 71-53 win Saturday afternoon.

After 20 minutes of play both teams had 28 points on the board and were almost identical in every stat.

The big difference for the Mountaineers was freshman Anna Freeman sitting the majority of the half after being called for a second personal foul after only 6 minutes of play.

The Paladins took advantage of Freeman’s absence, but were unable to build a significant lead.

The first half saw seven lead changes and six ties.

The Mountaineers came out hard in the after the break, opening with an 11-5 run after freshman Ashlen Dewart scored the first 6 points of the half.

Furman struggled back to within 5 several times, but the Apps ultimately controlled the rest of the game.

Freeman’s return to the court for the better part of the second half fueled 7-0 and 8-0 runs, as she managed 14 points and 10 rebounds despite playing only 21 minutes.

With the win the Mountaineers advance to a SoCon semifinal game for the first time in a decade.

Quarterfinal 3: Georgia Southern survives late Charleston comeback

“When I released it I gave a little hope to God,” Georgia Southern Jessica Geiger said after a Saturday morning bout with No. 4 College of Charleston. “Like, ‘please, go in.’”

She was referring to a long 3-pointer she let fly down by 2 with 13 seconds to play.

Geiger’s prayer was answered, and a few seconds later a steal from junior Jamie Navarro sealed the No. 5 Eagles’ upset over the Cougars.

A 10-0 run and perfect free throw shooting propelled Georgia Southern to a lead that grew as high as 11 in the first half, but hustle play from Charleston senior Brooke Kotcella pulled the Cougars within 6 going into the break.

Kotcella’s ferocity under the basket amounted to 7 boards and 10 points in the first period alone.

The Cougars came out strong after the locker room but were unable to cut the lead to less than 3 until the 13 minute mark.

Six minutes later, Kotcella would split a trip to the line to tie the game at 46 for the first time since 16:22 in the first half.

Senior Ericka Williams capitalized on the next possession with a layup giving the Cougars their first lead of the game with 6:30 to play.

From there it was a back-and-forth affair as neither team would lead by more than three for the remainder of the match.

Down by one with 34 seconds to play, Kotcella rebounded fellow senior Deidra Jones’s missed layup, and kicked it out to Jade Hughes, who sent it to a wide-open Tonia Gerty.

Gerty knocked down a 3 to give C of C a 2-point advantage with 27 seconds to go, but Geiger’s three and Navarro’s steal on the ensuing possessions sealed the game for the Eagles.

Georgia Southern advances to the semifinal round where they will take on tournament favorite Chattanooga at noon on SportsSouth.

Quarterfinal 2:Hollinquest double-doubles in quarterfinal victory over Greensboro

Senior Shanara Hollinquest paired 24 points with 10 rebounds to lead No. 1 Chattanooga over No. 9 UNC-Greensboro 82-64 Saturday in the second quarterfinal of the 2010 Southern Conference Tournament.

The Spartans saw a brief 4-point advantage in the first 2 minutes of the game, but the Mocs responded swiftly and decisively to retake the lead, and they didn’t look back.

UNC-G managed to hold senior Jenaya Wade-Fray, who averages 13.3 points per game, to one free throw bucket in the first half, but they still trailed by 8 at the break.

Greensboro had no answers for the Mocs in the second period as they continued to fall farther behind the regular season champs and tournament favorites.

The Spartans trailed by as many as 20 before Chattanooga head coach Wes Moore pulled most of his starters with 2:08 to play.

By the end of the game five different Mocs had broken into double digit scoring, including Hollinquest and Wade-Fray.

Chattanooga will play the winner of No. 4 College of Charleston vs. No.5 Georgia Southern Sunday at Noon in Time Warner Cable Arena.

No. 10 Elon held even with No. 2 Samford for the first 20 minutes, but the Bulldogs’ produced a stellar second-half performance to secure a 57-38 Southern Conference quarterfinal victory Friday morning.

Samford used 12 points in the paint to jump out to an early lead, but consecutive field goals from SoCon Freshman of the Year Ali Ford fueled a 7-1 run to put the Phoenix ahead by 1 with 8 minutes to play in the first half.

The first half would see two ties and four more lead changes before Samford senior Monica Maxwell hit a buzzer-beater to knot the game at 25 going into the break.

Ford and fellow freshman Kelsey Evans led the Phoenix scoring in the first half with 7 points apiece. Evans also had five rebounds and two blocks.

The Bulldogs were led in the first period by Maxwell and All-Conference juniors Savannah Hill and Emily London, all with 7 points each.

The second half opened with a 7-0 Samford run before Evans put away a layup as the shot clock expired at 16:45 to help slow the bleeding.

Elon would not recover as the Bulldogs held the lead by as many as 19 for the rest of the game, outscoring the Phoenix 32-13 in the second half.

The Bulldogs advance to the semifinal round Sunday at 2:30 p.m. where they will face either No. 3 Appalachian State or No. 11 Furman pending the outcome of their quarterfinal game Saturday morning.

Day 1 Recap

It was a good day to be the underdog on Day 1 of the 2010 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.

One squad was led by the most highly respected freshman in the league, one almost blew a double-digit lead, and one followed a senior who said she's tired of just coming up short.

They all had one thing in common: they advanced to the second round and kept their dream of a trip to the big dance alive despite being ranked at the bottom of the conference.

Check The Appalachian Online Friday for more live coverage as the 2010 SoCon Tournament rolls on from Bojangle's Coliseum in Charlotte.

Last minute comeback sends Furman on, Davidson home

No. 6 Davidson led for 36 minutes by as many as 15, only to fall 73-67 in the final seconds to senior Lee Stephens and No. 11 Furman.

Both teams came out strong as Davidson shot 66 percent from the floor and Furman shot 50 percent from the floor and perfect from the line for the first 4 minutes of play.

After 12 minutes of play, the Wildcats were still shooting 64 percent from the floor, and six different Wildcats had scored while only two of Furman’s 16 points had come from anyone other than Stephens.

Davidson slowly built a brief 10-point lead before Furman juniors Kelly O’Connor and Kendra Berry each knocked down 3-pointers inside the 5 minute mark to help bring the Paladins back within 3.

By halftime six Davidson players had at least 4 points, and two more had 2 points apiece.

Meanwhile Stephens still led Furman with 14 points, but only two of her teammates had more than five, leaving the Wildcats with a 38-31 advantage going into the locker room.

"It's a long game," Furman head coach Sam Dixon said he told his team. "Just keep fighting, keep doing the little things, keep trying to execute and don't let them have anything."

The Paladins spread the ball around more in the second half.

Eventually every Furman player had at least one bucket, but senior Alexandra Thompson and freshman Sophia Aleksandravicius combined for 23 points in the second half to keep the Wildcats just out of Furman’s reach for most of the game.

After getting possession off a jump ball call, a fade-away jumper from Berry pulled the Paladins to within 2 with 4 minutes to play.

One minute later, Stephens hit a long 3-pointer to tie the game at 65.

With 1:13 to play, Stephens came through again, knocking down two free throws to give the Paladins their first lead since 1:45 into the first half.

"[Stephens is] more than just a shooter," Dixon said. "She's got some toughness about her, she's got some scrap and fight about her. She's the heart and soul of our team."

Three consecutive fouls on the ensuing possession sent senior Julia Paquette to the line for a 1-1, but she failed to connect and Furman took the rebound.

On the next possession, Stephens hit two free throws, giving the Paladins their biggest lead of the game at 4, forcing Davidson to foul freshman Kaitlin Murphy immediately on the in-bounds.

She hit both free throws, sealing the game for the Paladins.

"We've come back from being down a lot in the last couple minutes of the game this year," Dixon said. "We've just come up short a couple of times."

"This time we didn't come up short."

Furman advances to face the SoCon Coach of the Year and the bulk of the All-SoCon first team in the form of No. 3 Appalachian State Saturday following a 9 a.m. tip between No. 4 College of Charleston and No. 5 Georgia Southern.

Spartans survive Catamount surge

UNC-Greensboro held off a late push to edge out Western Carolina 57-55 in Game 2 of the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte.

Senior Lakiah Hyson led UNC-G in the first half with 13 points, including a perfect 2-2 from 3-point range.

Seven different Catamounts knocked down at least one field goal apiece in the first half, but the combined effort was not enough to keep up with the Spartans, who rode a 4:30, 8-2 run to a 10 point halftime lead.

"We were a little out of sync to start with," Western head coach Karen Middleton said. "At halftime we were able to regroup and put things together a little bit."

After the break junior Emily Clarke knocked down back-to-back field goals to lead a Catamount push to within 5, but a 4-minute run put UNC-G back in front by 11 with 10:40 to play.

With 3:38 to play the Catamounts found themselves within 3 thanks again to Clarke’s shooting from both the floor and the line.

After two more minutes of trading possessions, Western sophomore Kaila’Shea Menendez was fouled as she shot a layup and knocked down the ensuing free throw to tie the game at 55 with 1:06 to play.

With 18 seconds left Western sophomore Caitlin Hollifield fouled Hyson, sending her to the line for a 1-1.

Hyson hit both free throws, giving the Spartans a 2-point lead with enough time for one Catamount possession.

On the ensuing play, Clarke drew a double team and kicked the ball out to senior Jessica Jackson with two seconds to play.

"We were looking to go to [Clarke], and she's obviously been drawing a lot of attention," Middleton said. "[Clarke] made the right play and gave it to [Jackson]."

Jackson missed the would-be game-winning 3-pointer off the inside of the rim as time expired, sealing the victory for UNC-G.

"It was a good look, but it just fell short," Middleton said.

The loss sends the Catamounts home and the Spartans on to Round 2 against the top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs Friday at Bojangle’s Coliseum following the 9 a.m. matchup between No. 2 Samford and No. 10 Elon.

Freshmen lead Elon over Wofford, 67-53

Freshmen Ali Ford and Kelsey Evans led No. 7 Elon to an 8-minute, 11-2 run over No. 11 Wofford to open the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, and the Phoenix didn’t look back.

Ford, named earlier this week SoCon Freshman of the Year and the first freshman to earn all-conference honors in over a decade, had 5 points including one bucket from behind the arc to her name before the Terriers could find their second basket in the first half.

Evans and senior Urysla Cotton handled business in the paint for the Phoenix, racking up a combined 15 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone.

Wofford leading scorer Mahogany Williams saw limited action in the first half after she was called for a second personal foul just over 6 minutes into the game.

The Phoenix domination gave pause only once as Williams helped pull the Terriers to within 3 with just over 13 minutes to play, but Ford knocked down three treys to lead the Phoenix on a 5 minute, 16-2 run to cushion Elon’s lead.

"We just started playing like we knew we could," Ford said. "We started taking better shots, not getting so rushed and concentrating on boxing Williams out because as she goes, they go."

The Phoenix held on for a 67-53 victory, advancing to play No. 2 Samford Friday at 9 p.m. at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.

"I don't care if we're playing at midnight or 6 a.m.," Elon head coach Karen Barefoot said. "I think this group is really excited to be here at this tournament."

Stories by: LILES NEAL, Associate Editor for Production Operations

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