Western Carolina defeated the Lady Cougars of the College of Charleston 75-65 Saturday night in Charleston. The win ended the squad’s five-game losing streak and gave the Lady Cats (8-9, 2-6) their second Southern Conference victory.
Western led for most of the first half and took a 27-22 lead at the half. Charleston (9-8, 5-3) then charged out of the gates in the second half. After quickly drawing even with Western, Lady Cougar guard Sara Weaver hit a three-point basket to give Charleston the lead and cap an 8-0 run to start the second half.
Western refused to relinquish its early lead, however, and continued to battle the Lady Cougars. Led by junior center Laura Echols’ 25-point performance and hitting 21 of 24 free throws in the second half, the Lady Cats held on down the stretch to notch the 10-point victory.
Freshman forward Tiffany Hamm helped Echols on the offensive end by pouring in 17 points. Sophomore Christy Blackwell also scored in double figures with 11. Echols led the Lady Cats with nine rebounds while Hamm and Senior April Fleck grabbed eight boards each.
Western Carolina used a suffocating defense to topple the Lady Cougars, forcing 22 turnovers. The Lady Cats also allowed Charleston just 36 percent shooting from the field, including an atrocious 3-for-17 performance from beyond the three-point arc.
