Basketball (W)

January 23, 2003

Tenth straight win moves Women's Basketball atop SAC standings

WINGATE, NC -- Catawba College held off a late charge by host Wingate and defeated the Bulldogs 78-75 in South Atlantic Conference women’s basketball action on Wednesday night at Cuddy Arena. The Lady Indians take sole possession of the league lead, improving to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in the SAC with their 10th straight victory. Wingate falls to 13-3 and 3-1. Catawba, the top-ranked team in the latest South Atlantic Region Poll, broke open a tight game with an 8-0 to end the opening half for a 44-36 edge at the break. Senior forward Dorthell Little (Rockingham, NC) led the Lady Indians in the first half, recording 13 of her 20 points in the period. Trailing, 7-6 after six minutes, Wingate would use a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to open its largest margin of the half. The Bulldogs would hold the lead until the final minute when Catawba reeled off eight straight to close the half. The Lady Indians continued their impressive play in the second half, pushing their lead to as much as 11 halfway through the second period. However, the Bulldogs would not go down with a fight and battled back to tie the game 67-67 with just over four minutes to play. The Wingate charge was led by junior guard Samantha Dailey (Huntington, WV), who recorded a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers in the game. Isiaette Darden (Wilson, NC) and Dailey would trade baskets to leave the score knotted a 69-69 until Darden gave Catawba the lead for good at 72-69 on a three-pointer with 3:30 to play. Ashley Cox (Richmond, VA) would add a three-point play with 2:50 left to extend the lead to 75-69, but Wingate would score four straight to close within 75-73 at the two-minute mark. Christina Carmon (Stafford, VA) hit a pair of free throws with 1:31 to go to push the margin to 77-73 and Jessica Guarneri (Piscataway, NJ) followed with a layin to bring Wingate back within a bucket. The Bulldogs would get a defensive stop on the next Catawba possession, but Guerneri committed a turnover with 16 seconds remaining. Cox hit one of two free throws and Wingate’s final shot was off the mark. The Lady Indians had four players in double figures on the evening. Little led Catawba with 20 points. Darden was a spark off the bench, recording 18 points including 4-5 from behind the arc. Cox and senior guard Lynn Morancie (Houston, TX) rounded out the double digit scoring for the Indians with 16 and 10 points respectively. Guarneri (Piscataway, NJ) had double-double for Wingate with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Veronica Taylor (Columbia, SC) tallied 14 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in the game. #####