CLINTON, S.C. – Devin Fothergill
(Somerset, Ky.) grabbed a Division I-era record 17 rebounds to help give senior
Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) and the Presbyterian College women's basketball
team a Senior Night to remember, as the Blue Hose downed Coastal Carolina on
Friday night, 56-52.
PC moves to 13-15 on the year and
7-10 in Big South Conference play. The team will end the 2011-12 campaign on
Monday night with home contest against Charleston Southern. Coastal Carolina
falls to 13-13 overall and 6-11 in league action with the loss.
Fothergill's 17 eclipses the
previous school Division I-era (since 2007-08) record of 16, set by Dria David (Lawrenceville, Ga.) against Radford
on February 27, 2010. Fothergill also tallied nine points against the Chanticleers,
one shy of a double-double.
David led the Blue Hose with 16
points on the night, while Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) contributed a season-high
14. Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.) chipped in on the defensive end, adding a
career-high three blocks and three steals.
Olivia Irick paced Coastal
Carolina with 13 points.
PC led by 10 points with 3:50
left in the game but the Chanticleers fought back down the stretch. Double by
double-digits, the visitors scored seven straight points to pull within three
with 1:15 remaining. A Fothergill free-throw pushed PC's lead back to two
possessions, but a Katelyn Connor layup slashed the Blue Hose advantage to two
points with eight seconds remaining.
A foul in the double bonus sent
David to the free throw line for two shots, where the junior converted one. The Blue Hose
used the same strategy at the other end, fouling Irick before the Chanticleer
could try a three-pointer. Irick hit one free throw and missed the rim on the second, giving PC the ball. David coolly hit her final two at the charity stripe
after a foul and PC took the win, 56-52.
The Blue Hose honored its senior,
Kristen Stevens, before the opening tip-off. Stevens ranks second in
three-pointers made over PC's Division I history and ranks fifth in program
history from long range.
PC began the game in impressive
fashion, scoring the first eight points and opening up a seven-point lead 5:13
into the game. Coastal responded, however, grabbing a lead midway through the
half before the Blue Hose went back up by four with 7:49 left before the break.
The two sides battled for the
lead and tied the game twice more in the half. The Blue Hose took a four-point
advantage with under a minute left before Irick knocked down a three-pointer in
the closing seconds to send the teams into halftime with PC ahead by
one, 27-26. Irick led all scorers at halftime with 10 points.
PC started the second half much
like the first, opening up an eight point lead shortly after play resumed on a
three-pointer by Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.). Coastal then put together an
8-2 run thanks in part to two long-range shots from Shatia Cole.
The Chanticleers tied the game
for the sixth and final time with 8:41 to go, but an 11-1 PC run put the home
team up by 10 and set the stage for Coastal's eventual comeback attempt.
