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Monday, 06 February 2012 21:35 |
 The ASU women break for their second half against Samford. The Mountaineers won the Jan. 30 game 53-49. Paul Heckert | The Appalachian
The women’s basketball team (17-3, 11-1) defeated Georgia Southern for the first time since 2007 Saturday in Statesboro.
Plenty of that momentum came from junior Courtney Freeman, who poured in 19 points and shouldered much of the offensive load.
“Court basically carried us offensively in the first half,” head coach Darcie Vincent said. “I don’t know where we would’ve been without her tonight.”
Courtney Freeman stepped up after leading scorer Anna Freeman picked up her third foul early - with just under three minutes in the first half.
“I felt good with my shot in warm-ups,” Courtney Freeman said. “When Anna went out early with foul trouble, I just tried to step up my scoring.”
In the opening half, the Eagles sprinted out to an early 17-10 lead on a Mimi Dubose 3-point shot. The Mountaineers responded quickly with one of their customary 12-2 runs, taking a 22-19 lead at the eight-minute media timeout.
Courtney Freeman scored 12 of her 19 in the first half, giving the Apps a 30-27 halftime advantage.
Georgia Southern tied the score at 34-34 with 17:07 remaining. But the second half was a showcase of the latest recipe for Mountaineer success. Put simply, the Apps’ depth and defensive pressure wore the Eagles out.
“We have been able to hold teams to extremely low second-half shooting percentages,” Coach Vincent said. “Tonight we had two girls come off the bench and get double-digit rebounds.”
Senior reserve Catherine Williams brought in six points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
“Cat has had some health issues and some nights she feels better than others,” Vincent said. “We couldn’t be happier with what she has given us in her senior year.”
Meanwhile, junior Kelsey Sharkey pulled down 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes.
According to Sharkey, the team may have starters, but the key to the Mountaineers’ success is in their diversity. There isn’t a significant talent drop-off when Coach Vincent calls to the bench, Sharkey said.
“We have a lot of people on our bench that have played a lot,” Sharkey said. “Most teams don’t use their bench that much compared to us. When we go to the bench, we don’t have a drop-off.”
The Mountaineers will travel to Charleston Monday to play the Cougars at 7 p.m.
Story: TYLER WOOD, Sports Reporter |
