Byrd’s 20 points lead UNCG over Appalachian State

GREENSBORO, NC – Junior guard Jasmine Byrd scored a game-high 20 points to lead the UNC Greensboro women’s basketball team to an 85-71 victory over Appalachian State in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at Fleming Gym.

Byrd, the native of Dumfries, VA, led UNCG (6-8, 2-3 SoCon) with her second 20-point game of the season and sixth of her career. Sophomore guard Kristen Boone filled the box score to the tune of 14 points, nine assists, seven steals and four rebounds, while sophomore center Meghan Chamberlain continued her stellar play of late with her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward KaLeah Latham added 10 points and seven boards.

Greteya Kelley topped all Appalachian State (6-9, 2-4 SoCon) players with 15 points. Eboni Kirby had 14 points, while Kiki Conyers and Jocelyn Wyatt had 13 and 12 points respectively as the Mountaineers dropped their fourth straight game.

UNCG posted its highest shooting percentage in over six years as the Spartans connected on 58.9 percent (33-for-56) of their field goals. UNCG shot 62.0 percent in an 85-51 win at Western Carolina on December 4, 1999.

The Spartans got 48 points from the paint which led to their success rate from the field. They also held a 16-7 advantage in second chance points and a 14-6 lead in fast break points.

UNCG began the second half on a 10-0 run that gave them a 59-33 cushion with 17:01 remaining. Sophomore forward Jasmine Dixon and Boone each scored four points in the first three minutes to set the tone for the remainder of the game. The Spartans would later expand their lead to as many as 29 points on two occasions, the first after a layup by Byrd at the 13:24 mark and after a Boone layup with 6:24 left.

ASU closed the game on a 19-4 that brought its deficit down to the 85-71 final score.

UNCG shot 60.0 (18-for-30) percent from the field, which resulted in a season-high for points in the opening 20 minutes as the Spartans took a comfortable 49-33 lead into halftime.

The Spartans got out to a quick start in the opening minutes of the game as Boone converted two layups and dished out a pair off assists for an 11-4 Spartan lead. After a Mountaineer bucket, UNCG scored nine straight points to open the lead up to 20-6 at the 14:05 mark.

By the 11:09 mark of the first half UNCG owned a 27-13 advantage as the Spartans were knocking down 68.8 percent of their shots to that point. UNCG later took a 46-27 lead after a jumper by Byrd with 2:37 left until intermission.

On the strength of four 3-pointers, Byrd led all scorers with 14 first half points, followed by eight points by Chamberlain and six apiece by Irene Otamiri and Latham. ASU was led by Kelley, Wyatt and Kirby, who all tossed in seven points apiece.

UNCG plays host to league foe College of Charleston on Monday night at 5 pm. That game precedes the UNCG men’s conference tilt with Western Carolina at 7 pm. Meanwhile, Appalachian State visits SoCon rival Wofford on Tuesday at 7 pm in Spartanburg, SC.

GAME NOTES: Head coach Lynne Agee coached her 699th career game at UNCG on Saturday... Boone has a steal in all 38 games of her career and 15 in the last two games alone... UNCG has owns a 23-20 advantage in the all-time series with Appalachian State... Today marked the first time the Spartans have shot over 50.0 percent from the field this season... UNCG is now 3-0 when four players score in double figures... The Spartans are 6-1 when they lead at the half.

AGATE
UNC GREENSBORO 85, APPALACHIAN STATE 71

APPALACHIAN STATE (6-9, 2-4 SoCon)
KELLEY, Greteya 7-15 0-1 15; KIRBY, Eboni 5-10 2-2 14; CONYERS, Kiki 5-11 0-1 13; WYATT, Jocelyn 3-5 4-4 12; EDWARDS, Danielle 4-8 0-0 8; KETNER, Whitney 2-6 0-0 4; BENNETT, Jaime 1-2 1-2 3; TOSSIE, Whitney 1-5 0-2 2; COSTNER, Carleena 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-63 7-12 71.

UNC GREENSBORO (6-8, 2-3 SoCon)
BYRD, Jasmine 7-12 1-2 20; BOONE, Kristen 6-7 2-2 14; CHAMBERLAIN, Meghan 6-11 2-3 14; LATHAM, KaLeah 3-4 4-7 10; DIXON, Jasmine 4-7 1-2 9; OTAMIRI, Irene 3-5 0-0 6; BROOKS, Kemena 1-2 2-2 4; CURRENT, Ashley 2-3 0-0 4; BLAIR, Caroline 1-2 1-2 3; LING, Ashley 0-1 1-2 1; GRIMSLEY, Gini 0-1 0-0 0; MULLINS, Ashley 0-0 0-0 0; JACKSON, Shanika 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-56 14-22 85.

Halftime: UNC Greensboro 49-33. 3-point goals-Appalachian State 8-19 (CONYERS, Kiki 3-6; WYATT, Jocelyn 2-4; KIRBY, Eboni 2-5; KELLEY, Greteya 1-3; TOSSIE, Whitney 0-1), UNC Greensboro 5-8 (BYRD, Jasmine 5-8). Fouled out--Appalachian State-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds-Appalachian State 28 (BENNETT, Jaime 7), UNC Greensboro 39 (CHAMBERLAIN, Meghan 10). Assists-Appalachian State 15 (TOSSIE, Whitney 8), UNC Greensboro 15 (BOONE, Kristen 9). Total fouls-Appalachian State 20, UNC Greensboro 16. A-254.

- UNCG -