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Lady Paladins Snap Two-Game Losing Streak, 65-50 at Elon
Feb. 26, 2005
Three Lady Paladins scored in double figures and two topped 20 as Furman snapped a two-game win streak with a 65-50 come-from-behind victory over Elon in the final game of the regular season. The third-seeded Lady Paladins will play again on Thursday, March 3, in a 7:30 p.m. game in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Championships at Maclellan Gym in Chattanooga, Tenn.
In the first period, the Phoenix poured in seven three-point shots on 13 field goals to take a two-point, 34-32 lead into the halftime locker room. After trailing most of the half, the Lady Paladins evened the score at 32 on a Nadalin free throw with 1:05 to play, but Samantha McComas's rebound and putback as time expired gave Elon the two-point advantage at the break. Furman forward Nadalin had a double-double by halftime, scoring 12 points and claiming 11 rebounds in the first period to stake the Lady Paladins to a 27-18 advantage on the boards before the half.
The Lady Paladins pulled ahead in the second half after tying the game at 40 on a Nadalin jump shot at the 13:05 mark. Phelps hit the only Furman three-pointer of the game with 3:26 on the clock to put the Lady Paladins ahead 58-50, and another Nadalin field goal at 2:11 made the FU lead 10. Over the final 7:28 the Furman defense upped its pressure and held the Phoenix scoreless with the exception of one made free throw with 4:56 to play.
Nadalin led the Lady Paladins on the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while freshman Chrissy Phelps scored a career-high 20 and Tommi Paris scored 12. Phelps also led playmaking with four assists, while Paris grabbed six steals in the win.
The Phoenix were paced by Tierra Bumbrey's 15 points effort and Kitara McMoore's 14 points and 10 rebounds. Furman outdid Elon 49-41 on the boards, but outshot the Lady Paladins 36.4% to 9.1% from three-point range.
With the win, the Lady Paladins improve to 18-9 overall and 13-7 in the Southern Conference, while Elon falls to 4-23 and 3-17. The Phoenix will be the 10th seed in the Southern Conference tournament.
