Box Score Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Visiting Western Carolina broke open a tie at halftime by shooting over 50.0 percent from the field in the second half for a 76-55 triumph over Wofford Saturday afternoon inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Lady Catamounts hit 19-of-36 (52.8 percent) field goals and 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) free throws in the second stanza to pull away after Wofford mounted a late first-half run to tie the game at 28-28 entering the intermission.

Senior Kelsi Koenig's 3-pointer answered an opening triple by Monique Dawson for a 3-3 score at 17:24, but then Western Carolina (13-5, 5-1 SoCon) rattled off the next nine points for a 12-3 advantage following a put-back layup by Emily Clarke at 14:27. Dawson connected on her second trey of the contest during the streak.

The Terriers then tallied the next six points on layups by post players Kate Dempsey and Kathlyn Varno to pull within three, 12-9, before Dawson registered an old-fashioned three-point play at 9:03 to push the lead back to eight, 19-11. A layup by junior Liz Miller capped another 6-0 Wofford surge, cutting the deficit to two, 19-17.

A pair of Kelsi Koenig free throws at 4:21 kept the Terriers at a one-possession game before Western pushed its lead back to five on two occassions, the last at 2:01 on a Dawson layup for a 26-21 Lady Catamount edge. Wofford, however, did not quit over the final two minutes and would outscore the visitors 8-2, including treys by Miller and freshman Ashley Kroker, to knot the halftime score at 28-28. Kroker's corner 3-pointer at 1:04 gave Wofford its first lead, 28-27.

The Terriers would continue their momentum early in the second half, netting six of the first eight points through the first minute and a half for a 34-30 lead. Western Carolina then rebounded for a 22-5 surge, including holding Wofford (9-8, 2-4 SoCon) to one point over a near-seven minute period, to claim a 52-39 lead following back-to-back jumpers by Heather Swayne with the last coming at 10:31.

Varno begun a 9-2 Terrier run, trimming the margin to six, 54-48, on a three-point play by Miller with 8:11 remaining in the contest. The Lady Catamounts then used another strong second half surge, a 16-2 streak, to open the scoring to a 20-point game, 70-50, with 3:43 to play. Five different Western Carolina players scored during the surge.

The closest the Terriers would get the remainder of the game would be 17, 72-55, on a 3-pointer by Miller at 2:08.

Dawson led the Lady Catamounts with 17 points, one higher than teammate Lauren Powell's 16. Chevon Keith paced the squad with eight rebounds, while Kristen Feemster grabbed seven boards.

Miller finished as Wofford's top scorer with 17 points. She was the only Terrier in double figures with Koenig's nine next on the list. Freshman Mahagony Williams hauled in a team-best six caroms.

Wofford will return to action at 6 p.m. Monday when it hosts preseason league favorite Chattanooga inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena. Western Carolina will travel to Greenville, S.C., for a 7 p.m. Monday tilt at Furman.