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Furman Rallies to Defeat ETSU 64-56
Dec. 20, 2004
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Furman's Lady Paladin basketball team went on a 25-8 run to bounce back from a nine-point deficit and defeat the Bucs of East Tennessee State 64-56 Monday night in Johnson City, Tenn.
Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Jen Nadalin, who is out indefinitely due to illness, the Lady Paladins trailed throughout the first period, scoring just 10 points in the first 10 minutes. Laney Harris, a senior from Loganville, Ga., kept Furman in the game, scoring all 15 of her points on the night in the first half, including three made three-pointers. At the break, the Lady Paladin trailed by three, 31-28, despite commiting 15 turnovers and trailing 27-17 with 3:10 to go.
"I thought the last five minutes of the first half were important because we got something going and built a little confidence," said coach Sam Dixon after the victory.
In the second period point guard Tommi Paris hit two early free throws to pull within one, but the Bucs' Candace Gibson connected on a jumper to stretch the ETSU lead to three. A pair of missed shots and a Furman turnover, which Tiffani Mayes converted to two points, gave the Bucs a five-point advantage early in the half.
The Lady Paladins continued to struggle with ball control,commiting another 15 turnovers in the second period for a season-high 30 in the game, but ETSU's biggest lead of the second half was nine(48-39) wtih 9:24 left. In the final 9:10, the Lady Paladins outscored the Bucs 25-8, including 13 points at the free throw line to move from nine down to the eight-point winning margin.
"It was very tough for our team without Jen, because we had to ask some players to adjust and do more, especially on the boards," said Dixon. "Mivvi Strickland (career-high 12 rebounds) got some very important rebounds for us down the stretch. In addition, Laney Harris stepped up and played well, showing tremendous leadership. All in all we never quit and it was a tremendous team effort."
In addition to Harris' 15 points, freshman Chrissy Phelps scored 15, Tommi Paris added 13, and Jessica Lange contributed 10. Strickland led the team with 12 rebounds, while Paris grabbed nine.
The Bucs were paced by Tiffani Mayes, who scored 20 points and claimed 13 rebounds. B.J. Banjo added 11 points, while Candace Gibson claimed 11 boards.
With the win, the Lady Paladins improved to 7-1 overall, matching the program's best-ever season start. With a 3-0 mark in the Southern Conference on the line, the Lady Paladins will play at Chattanooga on Wednesday, in a 7 p.m. game at McKenzie Arena.
