GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro had three players in doubles figures and opened the second half with an 11-0 run as the Spartans defeated Furman 67-53 in Fleming Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
UNCG was led by junior guard Kristen Boone, who scored a career-high 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the win. Irene Otamiri added a season-high 14 points and seven rebounds, while Meghan Chamberlain added 10 points. Senior guard Jasmine Byrd, who was playing in her 100th career game, chipped in seven points and four assists.
“We played well this afternoon,” head coach Lynne Agee said. “We really had several players step and contribute this afternoon, especially Meghan [Chamberlain], who has been hurt. She really did a great job on the inside for us; she had a soft touch on the glass and played every aspect of the game well today.”
Furman was led by Maggie McKemie, who had 10 points. Katie Johnson was the next leading scorer with nine points and Chrissy Phelps and Kali Holtfreter had eight points each. Adrienne Gilmore and Katie Johnson had three rebounds each.
The Spartans opened the second half with an 11-point run sparked by a layup by Chamberlain. Otamiri then hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to 38-26 but three unanswered buckets pushed the lead to 43-26 at the 16:55 mark.
Both teams went cold for the next two minutes combining for seven missed shots but it was the Spartans who were able to regroup, going on a 14-11 run to push the lead to 57-41 at the 8:18 mark, the largest lead of the night. Furman would get as close as nine points but it was the Spartans defense that sealed the win, forcing Furman into 25 turnovers, en route to UNCG’s second consecutive conference victory.
The Spartans shot 39.1 percent from the field on 25-of 64 shooting and out-rebounded Furman 42-16. UNCG also had a season-high 14 assists.
The Spartans started the game quickly, opening up a quick 6-0 lead in the games opening minutes. Furman quickly got their offense going, hitting several buckets in the paint to cut the UNCG lead to 13-12 at the 11:01 mark. The Paladins capitalized on several Spartan fouls and were able to take a one-point lead.
Byrd gave UNCG a little momentum and hit a three from the right side to push the lead back to 23-18 with just under seven minutes to play. Furman answered with a bucket in the paint and was able to cut the lead to 28-26 with just over three minutes left but a quick three by Otamiri and a steal and layup by Boone gave UNCG the 33-26 lead at halftime.
The Spartans continue conference play Monday Jan. 8, when they host Georgia Southern. Tip-off is set for 7 pm in Fleming Gymnasium.
AGATE
UNCG 67, FURMAN 53
FURMAN (5-10, 0-4)
MCKEMIE, Maggie 4-11 2-2-- 10; JOHNSON, Katie 3-7 3-5-- 9;
HOLTFRETER, Kali 3-6 0-0 --8; PHELPS, Chrissy 3-5 2-2-- 8; BAKER,
Sarah 3-5 0-0-- 6; OPIE, Courtney 3-50-3-- 6; STEPHENS, Lee 0-4 2-2
2; LIEBSCHWAGER,Melissa 1-5 0-0-- 2; LANGE,Jessica 1-2 0-0-- 2;
AGIN, Katie 0-0 0-0-- 0; GILMORE, Adrienne 0-2 0-0-- 0.Totals 21-52
9-14 53.
UNCG (9-5, 2-2)
Boone, Kristen 10-14 6-7-- 27; Otamiri, Irene 5-9 0-0--
14;Chamberlain, Meghan3-9 4-6-- 10; Byrd, Jasmine 3-11 0-0-- 7;
Latham, Kaleah 2-6 1-2-- 5; Frazier,Brittany 2-4 0-1-- 4; Grimsley,
Gini 0-2 0-0-- 0; Ling, Ashley 0-0 0-1-- 0;Brooks, Kemena 0-3 0-0--
0; Hyson, Lakiah 0-1 0-0-- 0; Dixon, Jasmine 0-5 0-0-- 0.Totals
25-64 11-17 67.
Halftime: UNCG 33-26 3-point goals--FURMAN 2-11 (HOLTFRETER, Kali 2-4; PHELPS, Chrissy 0-1;BAKER, Sarah 0-2; STEPHENS, Lee 0-2; LIEBSCHWAGER,Melissa 0-1; GILMORE,Adrienne 0-1), UNCG 6-15 (Otamiri, Irene 4-7; Byrd, Jasmine 1-7; Boone,Kristen 1-1). Fouled out--FURMAN-None, UNCG-None. Rebounds--FURMAN 36 (MCKEMIE, Maggie 9), UNCG 42 (Frazier, Brittany 7; Otamiri, Irene 7).Assists--FURMAN 6 (GILMORE, Adrienne 4), UNCG 14 (Boone, Kristen 5). Totalfouls--FURMAN 14, UNCG 16. Technical fouls--FURMAN-None, UNCG-None. A-238
- UNCG -