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Lackluster Half Leads to Loss
Jan. 7, 2006
GREENVILLE, South Carolina - Furman's Lady Paladin basketball team outscored the visiting Spartans of UNC Greensboro 44-29 in the second period, but were unable to overcome a lackluster first half and dropped a 69-66 Southern Conference decision Saturday at Timmons Arena.
A three-for-13 (.231) effort from three point range and a 30-13 drubbing on the boards combined for a woeful first half for the Lady Paladin basketball team. Only six field goals were made inside the three point line and only one free shot fell, while UNC Greensboro sank five treys, nine two-pointers, and seven free shots.
"We fell in love with the three pointer in the first half and that got us in a big hole," said coach Sam Dixon after suffering his first Southern Conference loss of the season. "The second half was better - we adjusted our attack and became much more aggressive which led to more frree throws and a smaller discrepancy on the boards."
Sure enough, after allowing UNCG 12 first half offensive rebounds while claiming only three, the Lady Paladins managed seven offensive boards in the second period and allowed 10. This, along with more dribble penetration, keyed a 15-4 Lady Paladin run that cut the UNCG lead to seven with 15:17 to play.
Finally, with 2:40 on the clock, senior guard Lauren Few sank a three pointer that put Furman within two, 64-62. A blocked shot by Jessica Lange on the defensive end of the floor led to a Melynda Gant layup, which tied the game at 64 with 1:22 left to play. A Gant free throw off the KaLeah Latham foul gave the Lady Paladins a 65-64 advantage, but Kristen Boone connected on two free throws with 1:17 to go to regain the lead for the Spartans.
The third and final tie of the game came when Gant sank the back end of a two shot foul at the 1:06 mark, but Jasmine Dixon made a pair of free shots with 54 seconds left to put UNCG up again by two. Furman missed two shots on the offensive end of the floor before the Spartans' Meghan Chamberlain grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Sarah Baker. Chamberlain sank only the second shot but it was enough to give Greensboro a three point advantage and its first win of the Southern Conference season.
The Lady Paldins were led on the day by Few's 16 points, while Paris added 13, Gant contributed 11, and Lange tossed in 10. Lange and Megan Scott led the Lady Paladins with six rebounds each, while Few topped playmaking with six assists.
The Spartans were led by Jasmine Byrd's 13 points, while Irene Otamiri totaled 12 and Latham contributed 10. Chamberlain grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds while Latham added nine to the UNCG total of 50.
With the win, the Spartans improve to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in Southern Conference play, while Furman falls to 7-7 overall and 3-1 in league action. Furman returns to the court on Monday with a 7 p.m. game at the College of Charleston.
