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Powell Leads Western Carolina Past Furman 58-47
Jan. 20, 2007
Greenville, S.C. - Lauren Powell scored a game-high 21 points and Brooke Johnson added 10 points for Western Carolina as the Catamounts downed Furman 58-47 on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
Powell, the reigning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, hit 10-of-18 shots from the floor, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, to lead the Catamounts. Johnson sank 6-of-7 free throws and finished 2-for-7 from the floor.
After Western Carolina took a 42-31 lead at the 10:59 mark in the second half, Furman scored six straight points on a Kali Holtfreter layup and two Sarah Baker jumpshots to trim the lead to 42-37 with nine minutes remaining. Furman kept the lead at five until the 7:27 mark before the Catamounts scored seven in a row. Chevon Keith scored a layup, followed by a three point play by Johnson. A steal and layup by Ashley Pellom gave Western Carolina its largest lead at 51-39 with six minutes remaining.
Chrissy Phelps led Furman with 13 points, but managed just two points in the second half. Maggie McKemie and Sarah Baker each pulled down eight rebounds for the Lady Paladins, and Katie Johnson tied her career-high with four blocked shots.
Turnovers and rebounds continued to plague Furman as the Lady Paladins committed 23 turnovers, and were outrebounded 43-35, including 21 offensive boards to the Catamounts. Western Carolina outscored Furman 19-10 in points off turnovers, and recorded 11 second chance points.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle that featured seven ties and 11 lead changes as neither team led by more that five points.
With the win, Western Carolina improves to 12-7 on the season, 6-2 in the Southern Conference. Furman falls to 6-13 overall, 1-7 in conference action. The Lady Paladins return to action on Monday as Furman travels to face Elon at 7 p.m. at Alumni Gym.
