GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior Monique Floyd scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds and classmate Kendra Smith scored a team-high 16 points as UNC Greensboro cruised to a 79-55 exhibition win over Catawba on Saturday.
Catawba's Milica Ivanovic scored a game-high 20 points for the Lady Indians, all of which came in the second half.
UNCG put four players in double figures, as Amanda Leigh scored 11 points and freshman Sidnei Harmon added 10.
Senior Lakiah Hyson got off to a hot start, scoring six points in a 10-0 UNCG run to open the game. A pair of Elizabeth Merritt free throws at the 15:28 mark finally got the Lady Indians on the board, but that was as close as it would get.
Catawba kept the margin manageable for the next several minutes, and Maggie Sullivan's layup with 8:49 left made it 25-14. But UNCG's offense came roaring to life, with a Floyd jumper igniting a 28-2 run to end the half.
Freshman Brey Dorsett banked in a 3-pointer and Smith followed with the second of her two triples on the day. Hyson added a pair of free throws to push the Spartans' lead over 20 for the first time on the afternoon, making the score 35-14 with 5:09 left in the half.
The Lady Indians briefly got their deficit back under 20 with a pair of Jolysa Connor free throws with 4:16 left, but that was the last time Catawba would score in the opening frame.
The trio of Smith, Floyd and Harmon took over from there, with Smith and Floyd scoring four each and Harmon adding six as UNCG scored the final 18 points of the half to take a 53-16 lead into the locker room.
Ivanovic and the Lady Indians dictated the flow of the game after the break, with the junior from Belgrade, Serbia, scoring nine points in a 13-5 run that got Catawba's deficit back under 30 at 58-29 with 14:02 to play.
Renee Welfare's layup made the score 60-35 in UNCG's favor with 11:12 to play, but Leigh answered with a 3-pointer to start a 13-2 run to stretch the lead back to 36 with 5:28 to play.
Ivanovic wasn't done, hitting back-to-back 3s for the Lady Indians, but Catawba would get no closer than the final margin of 24 points.
UNCG shot an impressive 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from the floor
in the first half, but cooled off considerably after the break,
shooting 28.6 percent (10-for-35). For the game, the Spartans were
31-for-74 (41.9 percent).
Catawba shot just 31.3 percent for the game (20-for-64), including
a 51.7 percent showing in the second half (15-for-29).
The Spartans dominated the glass, holding a 56-37 rebounding advantage. All but two UNCG players finished with at least two boards, with freshman Dayshaun Richbow pulling down seven. Six of Floyd's game-high 11 were on the offensive end of the floor.
Merritt paced the Lady Indians with nine rebounds.
UNCG opens the regular season Saturday, Nov. 14, when it hosts Morgan State at 3 p.m. at Fleming Gym.
AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO 79, CATAWBA 55
CATAWBA
Ivanovic, Milica 7-16 2-2 20; Long, Nisha 3-12 0-0 7; Merritt,
Elizabeth 1-6 3-4 5; Welfare, Renee 2-5 1-2 5; Connor, Jolysa 1-5
3-5 5; Sullivan, Maggie 2-2 0-0 4; Whitley, Brooke 1-1 0-0 3;
Coleman, Quaneasia 1-2 0-0 2; Dellapenta, Anna 1-3 0-0 2; May,
Taylor 1-2 0-0 2; Long, Kisha 0-10 0-0 0. Totals 20-64 9-13 55.
UNC GREENSBORO
SMITH, Kendra 7-15 0-0 16; FLOYD, Monique 7-16 1-2 15; LEIGH,
Amanda 4-8 0-0 11; HARMON, Sidnei 5-6 0-2 10; HYSON, Lakiah 3-7 2-2
8; FOLWELL, Sarah 1-4 2-2 5; GIRSTAUTAITE, Agne 1-2 2-2 4; DORSETT,
Brey 1-4 0-0 3; MORKUNAITE, Agneta 0-2 2-2 2; RICHBOW, Dayshaun 1-3
0-0 2; WEAVER, Jazz 1-2 0-0 2; CLAPPER, Amy 0-2 1-2 1; CORBETT, Dee
0-1 0-0 0; BANNER, TaShama 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-74 10-14 79.
Catawba 16 39 55
UNC Greensboro 53 26 79
3-point goals--Catawba 6-17 (Ivanovic, Milica 4-6; Whitley, Brooke 1-1; Long, Nisha 1-3; Connor, Jolysa 0-1; Long, Kisha 0-5; Merritt, Elizabeth 0-1), UNC Greensboro 7-14 (LEIGH, Amanda 3-5; SMITH, Kendra 2-3; FOLWELL, Sarah 1-3; DORSETT, Brey 1-1; BANNER, TaShama 0-1; HYSON, Lakiah 0-1). Fouled out--Catawba-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds--Catawba 37 (Merritt, Elizabeth 9), UNC Greensboro 56 (FLOYD, Monique 11). Assists--Catawba 5 (Dellapenta, Anna 2; Long, Nisha 2), UNC Greensboro 18 (HYSON, Lakiah 4). Total fouls--Catawba 12, UNC Greensboro 12. Technical fouls--Catawba-None, UNC Greensboro-None. A-275
- UNCG -