Feb. 6, 2010

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Heather Swayne scored a career high 15 points and Western Carolina used hot shooting and solid defense to race past Furman, 69-39, in Southern Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.

Swayne converted 5-of-6 field goal attempts, including all three 3-point shots, for her 15 points to help Western Carolina (4-19, 3-11 SoCon) snap a nine-game losing skid and claim its first win since Jan. 2 when it recorded a 66-58 decision over Furman in Cullowhee. The triumph was also the Catamounts' 13th consecutive win in the series with the Paladins since 2005.

Kristen Feemster added 12 points and a game high 10 rebounds for the Catamounts, who shot 52.0 percent from the field (26x50).

The loss was the fifth straight for Furman (6-18, 4-11 SoCon), which got 10 points each from Lakyn Ledford and Lee Stephens. The Paladins shot just 28.0 percent from the field (14x50) -- their sixth sub-30 percent shooting performance of the season.

Western Carolina took command of the contest early, using a Feemster layup at the 12:30 mark to break an 11-11 tie and spark a 10-0 run that culminated with a 21-11 advantage following Swayne 3-pointer with nine minutes to go in the first half.

The Catamounts opened the second half with an 11-2 run to take total control. A pair of Feemster free throws five minutes into the second period gave WCU a 41-19 lead, from which Furman never recovered.

Western Carolina fashioned a 35-29 advantage on the boards and won the turnover battle, 13-10.

Jessica Jackson tallied a game high six assists for WCU, whose bench outscored Furman's reserves, 40-10.

Furman plays at Wofford on Monday in a 6:00 p.m. game.