Saturday, January 13, 2001

Johnson City, Tenn. -- College of Charleston's Wilma Simpson notched her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cougars in a 78-61 win against East Tennessee State at ETSU's Memorial Center.

The Lady Bucs shot 34.3 percent (24-70) from the field, while the Cougars made 48.2 percent (27-56). Another key statistic that sealed the win was the visitor's foul shooting, (19-22, 86.4 percent). It was the Cougars highest team free-throw percentage of the year.

The first half was an exciting back-and-forth affair that included six ties and four lead changes. The largest lead of the half was a 15-7 lead by the Cougars with 13:29 remaining. The Lady Bucs quickly stormed back and went on a 9-0 run to take a one point lead of their own at the 10:17 mark. The score was tied at the half, 29-29.

The beginning of the second half brought more of the same, with neither team opening up a lead larger than four points through the first ten minutes of the half. The score was tied at 50 after Lindsay Baber knocked down a jumper for College of Charleston at the 8:00 mark. The Cougars then caught fire and outscored the Lady Bucs 28-11 over the last eight minutes.

East Tennessee State's Erin Thurman scored a team-high 15 points, connecting on four treys in defeat. The Lady Bucs' Chris Forman(11) and Misty Copas (10) also scored in double digits.

In addition to Simpson's performance, Sara Weaver (17) and Becky Wollenberg (16) also scored in double figures.

The Lady Bucs return to action at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16 when they play their second consecutive home game, hosting Western Carolina in the Memorial Center.