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Wells Lifts Furman To 73-68 Victory Over Appalachian State
Feb. 5, 2005
GREENVILLE, South Carolina - Four Lady Paladins scored in double digits, and the team shot 52.0% from the field in posting a 73-68 victory over Appalachian State in Southern Conference women's basketball action Saturday at Timmons Arena.
Junior guard Princess Wells scored six points in the final 1:37 to break open a tie game and help lift Furman to the five-point victory. Freshman Chrissy Phelps sank a jumper with 55 seconds left to put the Lady Paladins up by two, then Wells hit a jumper with just 18 seconds to go and made the foul shot for an old fashioned three-pointer that sealed the Furman win.
In a game that was marred by 30 combined first-half turnovers, no team seemed comfortable with the lead. There were six lead changes in the first half, two in the second, and four ties - all in the second period. Though Furman held a 25-13 advantage at the 8:43 mark of the first period, the Mountaineers battled back to within two, and the Lady Paladins held just a 35-33 lead at the break.
Though ASU ended the game with 27 made field goals and Furman totaled 26, the Lady Paladins connected on 16-of-18 free throws for the difference in the game. In addtion, with Furman trailing 53-49 in the second half, Laney Harris and Wells made three-pointers in three of five possessions, helping Furman to a 60-54 advantage with 7:01 left to play. ASU's Kiki Conyers answered with a trey of her own at the 4:52 mark, and a Lindsay Smith three at 2:45 cut the Furman lead to two, but Wells went to work and the Furman defense allowed just four more Mountaineer points.
The Lady Paladins were led on the night by Well's 16 points, while Phelps added 15 and Harris and Jen Nadalin each contributed 13. Harris and Phelps each dished off a team-best three assists, while also claiming three steals a piece.
"It was a team effort," said coach Sam Dixon after the win, "and Princess really held things together for us down the stretch. She had some key shots, big rebounds, and did some outstanding things defensively. I am really proud of how she played in some critical points in the game."
The Moutaineers were paced by Whitney Tossie's 19 points and Lindsay Smith's 18. In addition, Danielle Edwards and Conyers each added 10, with Conyers claiming a team-best seven boards.
With the victory, Furman improves to 15-7 overall and 10-5 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State falls to 10-11 overall and 7-7 in league play. The Lady Paladins have a week off before returning home for a 1:30 p.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 12, against the Cougars of the College of Charleston. That game will be televised on CSS (Comcast Charter Sports Southeast).
The Mountaineers are back in action on Monday with a 7 p.m. home game against the Wofford Terriers.
