WCU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
WCU Release
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s basketball completed its two-game road swing with a 70-59 loss at East Carolina Sunday in Minges Coliseum. The Catamounts fall to 0-2 to start the season while ECU improves to 2-0.
The first half was a struggle for Western Carolina, as the club found itself in a 15-point (31-16) deficit with 3 minutes left. A jumper by Emily Clarke with 2:41 remaining started a 10-4 run by the Catamounts to close out the first half. Back-to-back jumpers by junior Kendra Carroll in the final 30 seconds cut the Pirate lead to single-digits, 35-26, heading into the locker room.
Western Carolina continued to chip away at the ECU lead to start the second half. With 11 minutes remaining, the Catamounts forced the first tie of the game, at 42, thanks to a lay-up by senior forward Kristen Feemster. ECU answered with a jumper by Ashley Clarke to re-take the lead, but WCU answered with a bucket off a jumper by its own Clarke to tie the game for the second time at 44.
Kim Gay was fouled and hit one of two free throws to allow ECU to regain the lead and the Pirates never trailed again. The East Carolina advantage in scoring was just 16-15 in the final 10 minutes of the game for the Pirates.
Western Carolina had 20 turnovers in the game and ECU got 26 points off the Catamounts miscues. The Catamounts also had 20 turnovers and lost the rebounding advantage 37-29.
For the second consecutive game, junior guard Carroll paced the Catamounts scoring 16 points against ECU. She was one point shy of her career-high of 17 points in which she scored against Montana State in 2008-09.
Carroll was one of three Catamounts to score in double figures. Fellow junior Emily Clarke added 12 points and sophomore Kailia’Shea Menendez had 10. Clarke also led the club in rebound with eight.
Western Carolina will play its first home game of the 2009-10 at 7 p.m. Friday, hosting Southern Conference member Wofford. After the SoCon match-up, the Catamounts will head to Anchorage, Alaska to participate in The Great Alaska Shoot-out November 24-25.
