Dec. 3, 2006

Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, TN - Cold shooting and turnovers were too much for the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team to overcome Sunday afternoon at McKenzie Arena, as the Hawks fell to Western Carolina, 69-51, in the final day of the Courtyard Classic. Saint Joseph's finished the game just 18-of-65 from the floor (27.7 percent) and committed 21 turnovers.

SJU senior guard Ayahna Cornish was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring 36 points in the two games combined.

Western Carolina came out fast to open the contest, taking control of the game from the beginning. The Lady Catamounts scored 15 of the game's first 17 points, taking a 15-2 edge on a jump shot by Chevon Keith at 14:44.

Saint Joseph's fought back with an 11-1 run of its own from 14:22 to 10:42, cutting the deficit to three, 16-13, on a layup by Cornish.

But from there, the Lady Catamounts stretched their lead to seven, 26-19, on a Jessika Johnson free throw with 57 seconds remaining in the half.

Trailing by seven at the half, the same deficit in Saturday's 65-61 win over host Chattanooga, the Hawks never were able to gain momentum. Western Carolina came out strong with a 16-6 run, opening a 42-25 lead at the 14:13 mark on a layup by Lauren Powell.

The Lady Catamounts continued to extend their lead, opening its biggest advantage, 55-31, with 8:09 remaining.

Saint Joseph's, which shot just 24.4 percent from the field in the second half (10-of-41), would get no closer than the final outcome.

Individually, sophomore Jenna Loschaivo led the Hawks with 13 points, while Cornish was the only other SJU player in double figures, adding 11.

At the other end, Johnson led the Lady Catamounts with 15 points, while Keith added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 3-4 on the season, while Western Carolina improves to 5-4.

Saint Joseph's returns to action this Friday, December 8, as the Hawks host Boston College at 7 p.m.