UNCG secures No. 2 seed in SoCon Tourney with win over Western

GREENSBORO, NC – Kristen Boone tied her career-high with 25 points to lead UNC Greensboro to a 72-57 victory over Western Carolina in the Southern Conference women’s basketball regular season game for both clubs. The win secures the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament for the Spartans.

The Upper Marlboro, MD native also hauled in a career-best 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season. UNCG (16-11, 12-6 SoCon) also got 11 points from KaLeah Latham and 10 points from Irene Otamiri.

Teshymia Tillman, a native of nearby High Point, NC, led Western Carolina (8-19, 8-10 SoCon) with 15 points. Chevon Keith and Monique Dawson tossed in nine points apiece for the Lady Catamounts, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

UNCG held a slim two-point, 55-53, lead with 4:38 left in the game when Otamiri started a 17-4 run to close the game with a layup at the 3:27 mark. Jasmine Byrd then converted a fast-break layup and Otamiri layed in another basket and UNCG was well on its way to its 10th victory in the last 12 games.

Western never got any closer than six the rest of the way. UNCG went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minute to help its cause.

In the last four games, all victories for the Spartans, the defense has allowed less than 60 points.

UNCG owned a 32-28 win heading to the second half. The game remained a tight one for the next 15 minutes with 10 lead changes and three ties. Western’s last lead was 49-48 after a 3-pointer by Lauren Powell at the 7:19 mark. Boone immediately answered with a layup that gave the Spartans the lead for good.

In the first half, sophomore guard Kemena Brooks’ 3-pointer gave UNCG its largest lead of the half, 19-12, at the 10:23 mark. The Lady Catamounts got within 30-28 on an Amelia Miller jumper with 1:33 until halftime, before Meghan Chamberlain gave UNCG a 32-28 intermission lead on a layup in the final minute of play.

UNCG honored its three seniors (Caroline Blair, Ashley Current and Shanika Jackson) in a brief ceremony before the start of the game. All three were inserted into the lineup, which represented Jackson’s first ever start in 84 games. She scored six points.

UNCG will next play on Friday at 5 pm against the winner of the No. 7 seed /No. 10 seed game in the SoCon Tournament. The game will be played at McCalister Fieldhouse on the campus of The Citadel in Charleston, SC.

AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO 72, WESTERN CAROLINA 57

WESTERN CAROLINA (8-19, 8-10 SoCon)
TILLMAN, Teshymia 6-13 3-3 15; KEITH, Chevon 4-8 1-2 9; DAWSON, Monique 3-9 2-2 9; POWELL, Lauren 3-6 0-0 7; PELLOM, Ashley 2-7 2-2 6; MILLER, Amelia 2-4 0-0 4; EATON, Kendra 1-4 1-1 3; JOHNSON, Jessika 1-2 0-0 2; PARKER, April 1-2 0-0 2; MAY, Erin 0-1 0-0 0; HARDY, Teyawna 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 9-10 57.

UNC GREENSBORO (16-11,12-6 SoCon)
BOONE, Kristen 7-12 9-10 25; LATHAM, KaLeah 5-8 1-2 11; OTAMIRI, Irene 4-9 2-4 10; CHAMBERLAIN, Meghan 3-7 1-2 7; JACKSON, Shanika 2-4 2-2 6; DIXON, Jasmine 1-1 2-2 4; BYRD, Jasmine 2-7 0-0 4; BROOKS, Kemena 1-5 0-0 3; LING, Ashley 1-2 0-0 2; BLAIR, Caroline 0-3 0-0 0; CURRENT, Ashley 0-2 0-0 0; GRIMSLEY, Gini 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-62 17-22 72.

Halftime: UNC Greensboro 32-28. 3-point goals-Western Carolina 2-18 (POWELL, Lauren 1-4; DAWSON, Monique 1-4; PELLOM, Ashley 0-2; MILLER, Amelia 0-2; MAY, Erin 0-1; HARDY, Teyawna 0-2; KEITH, Chevon 0-2; TILLMAN, Teshymia 0-1), UNC Greensboro 3-11 (BOONE, Kristen 2-3; BROOKS, Kemena 1-4; OTAMIRI, Irene 0-1; BYRD, Jasmine 0-2; GRIMSLEY, Gini 0-1). Fouled out--Western Carolina-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds-Western Carolina 30 (MAY, Erin 5), UNC Greensboro 45 (BOONE, Kristen 10). Assists-Western Carolina 9 (DAWSON, Monique 4), UNC Greensboro 11 (BOONE, Kristen 3; LATHAM, KaLeah 3). Total fouls-Western Carolina 18, UNC Greensboro 15. A-359.

- UNCG -