GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro put three student-athletes in double figures and turned in back-to-back wins for the first time this season, downing North Carolina Central on Wednesday, 70-57.
Amy Clapper and senior Lakiah Hyson scored 11 points each for UNCG (3-6), which also got 10 points from Brey Dorsett. Clapper scored all 11 of her points after halftime, while Dorsett scored all 10 of hers in the opening stanza. Both players' totals were career highs.
Freshman Joanna Miller scored a game- and career-high 25 points to lead the Lady Eagles (0-8). J'Mia Pollock was also in double figures with 10 points.
UNCG led by as many as 30 in the second half before N.C. Central made a late push.
The Spartans held NCCU to just 30.8 percent shooting (8-for-26) in the first half in building a 38-18 halftime lead. UNCG broke the game open with a 15-2 run that turned a two-point deficit into an 18-7 lead with 11:04 left in the opening half.
Spartans coach Lynne Agee replaced all five starters less than four minutes into the contest, putting Dorsett, Dayshaun Richbow, Agne Girstautaite, Sarah Folwell and TaShama Banner in with 16:13 to play.
That group, as well as Sidnei Harmon, who came in for Folwell a couple of minutes later, sparked the big run. The starters returned after the under-12 media timeout and capped the run, with Monique Floyd, Kendra Smith and Hyson netting the final six points.
Dorsett had seven of her points in the stretch, surpassing her previous career high of six in a span of less than four minutes.
The freshman from Winston-Salem, N.C., was on fire in the first half, going 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. She hit a jumper just seconds after entering the game, then hit another jumper and a 3-pointer 45 seconds apart to give her a new career high. She added another 3 later in the frame to give her a game-high 10 at the break.
The Spartans' bench was crucial in the opening frame, scoring 20 of UNCG's 38 first-half points. NCCU's bench contributed just two points in the first 20 minutes.
NCCU held UNCG without a field goal for the first 4:19 of the second half, but the Spartans actually increased their lead from the free throw line. Girstautaite had three points and Clapper and Folwell added one each as UNCG pushed its lead to 43-20 before Hyson's layup with 15:41 to play.
Clapper then scored the Spartans' next nine points, converting passes from three different players into easy layups.
UNCG twice pushed its lead to 30 points – the first on a Floyd free throw that made it 67-37 with 4:49 to play – before the Lady Eagles finished the game on a 20-3 run.
Miller took over for NCCU in the run, as she scored 10 points in the final 3:02 of play.
UNCG forced 35 turnovers by the Lady Eagles. Miller had a dubious double-double with 11 turnovers to go with her 25 points.
The Spartans got contributions from all over its bench, and all 14 players that suited up Wednesday played at least 5 minutes. Banner blocked a career-best two shots, while Richbow had a career-high five steals. Smith had seven points and a season-best eight rebounds.
The win was UNCG's second in a row. The Spartans topped Fordham on Saturday, 69-63, to snap a six-game losing streak.
UNCG returns to action Saturday when it hosts Southern Conference power Chattanooga at 3 p.m.
AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO 70, N.C. CENTRAL 57
N.C. CENTRAL (0-8)
Joanna Miller 8-19 7-7 25; J'Mia Pollock 3-7 4-4 10; Danielle Deberry 3-4 0-1 7; Katrice Elliott 1-4 2-2 4; Latoya Bennett 1-5 2-4 4; Blaire Houston 1-4 1-2 3; Shanise Blanks 1-7 0-0 2; Aretha Johnson 1-1 0-0 2; Destiny Tolliver 0-0 0-0 0; Shaina Pryor 0-1 0-0 0; She'Leah Battle 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 19-52 16-20 57.
UNC GREENSBORO (3-6)
Amy Clapper 4-7 3-4 11; Lakiah Hyson 4-9 2-2 11; Brey Dorsett 4-7 0-0 10; Agne Girstautaite 1-4 5-9 7; Kendra Smith 3-9 0-1 7; Monique Floyd 1-2 5-6 7; Amanda Leigh 1-11 2-2 5; Dayshaun Richbow 2-2 0-0 4; TaShama Banner 2-5 0-0 4; Sidnei Harmon 1-2 0-0 2; Sarah Folwell 0-3 1-2 1; Agneta Morkunaite
0-1 1-2 1; Dee Corbett 0-2 0-0 0; Jazz Weaver 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-64 19-28 70.
N.C. Central 18 39 57
UNC Greensboro 38 32 70
3-point goals--N.C. Central 3-17 (Joanna Miller 2-9; Danielle Deberry 1-2; Shanise Blanks 0-5; J'Mia Pollock 0-1), UNC Greensboro 5-17 (Brey Dorsett 2-3; Kendra Smith 1-2; Amanda Leigh 1-7; Lakiah Hyson 1-2; TaShama Banner 0-1; Sarah Folwell 0-1; Monique Floyd 0-1). Fouled out--N.C. Central-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds--N.C. Central 39 (Joanna Miller 7), UNC Greensboro 43 (Kendra Smith 8). Assists--N.C. Central 9 (Danielle Deberry 3), UNC Greensboro 17 (Brey Dorsett 3; TaShama Banner 3). Total fouls--N.C. Central 18, UNC Greensboro 18. Technical fouls--N.C. Central-None, UNC Greensboro-None. A-204
- UNCG -
