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Date Opponent Results
3/6/2012 Dyersburg State @ TCCAA Tournament Jackson, TN 56-64 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
JACKSON - The final curtain came crashing down on the 2011/2012 basketball season for the Cleveland State Lady Cougars on Tuesday night in the first round of the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Basketball Tournament at Jackson State Community College. The 10th seeded Dyersburg State Lady Eagles soared to the upset win by a final score of 64-56.
Made baskets were few and far between in the first half for both teams. The Lady Eagles started hot and jumped out to an 11-4 lead. Slowly, the Lady Cougars inched their way back into the game as Shea Nunn hit a long three-pointer to cut the lead to three points at 20-17.
Cleveland State showed signs of life in the final minutes of the half as they finished with a 10-3 run as Mercedes Smith came off the bench and immediately grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds for putbacks to give the Lady Cougars a 25-23 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars picked right up where they left off to start the second half with a 10-4 run to take their largest lead of the night, 36-27. Jessica Harper led the charge with a three-point bomb and six free tosses.
For some unexplained reason, the Lady Cougar offense came to a grinding halt as they went almost seven minutes without scoring a point. The Lady Eagles seized the momentum and never gave it back as they went on an 18-0 run to turn a nine point Cleveland State lead into an eight point deficit and the Lady Cougars never recovered.
The Lady Cougars didn't quit though, as they cut the lead to one point after a pair of tough buckets in the paint by Chelsea Jones, but the Lady Eagles responded with a three-point play by Sharonda Brabson and a 3-pointer from Chasity Hamilton provided the cushion Dyersburg would need to secure the win. Dyersburg State will not have long to celebrate as they will advance to play second-seeded Columbia State on Thursday.
In the end, Cleveland State turnovers and offensive rebounds by Dyersburg State would prove to be too big a mountain to climb as the season came to an end for the Lady Cougars.
Harper led the Lady Cougars (12-16) with 14 points while Shanavian Woodland and Chelsea Jones finished with 10 points each. Brabson paced the Lady Eagles with 20 points while Jasmine Duke added 16 and Hamilton had 11.
In the other first round women's matchup, Jackson State (9th seed) topped Roane State (8th), 68-54 and will move on to face top seeded and Nationally 10th ranked Walters State on Thursday.
2/25/2012 Dyersburg State 65-60 Win
Be it great defense or just bad shooting, made baskets were few and far between for the Lady Eagles and Lady Cougars on Saturday afternoon. The lead changed hands seven times in all. Chelsea Jones and Jessica Harper knocked down a trey each for Cleveland State to put them on top, but Marina Harwell and Makenzie Tucker hit two 3's each for Dyersburg to swing the momentum.
Mercedes Smith, as she did on Friday night, came off the Lady Cougar bench to provide a spark and offset the huge size advantage by Dyersburg to toss in eight first half points as the game was knotted at 26-26 at halftime. Cleveland State shot only 22 percent in the first half to 30 for Dyersburg, but the Lady Cougars made up for it by hitting 12 of 15 free throws.
The cold shooting continued for the Lady Cougars in the second half until Jessica Harper got hot at just the right time. Harper proceeded to rain three-pointers down from all points on the floor hitting three straight to spur a Cleveland State 10-2 run and give the home team a 41-37 lead.
Hannah Brown nailed her second trey of the contest and Mercedes Smith continued her good work in the paint with another offensive rebound and hoop as the Lady Cougars lead grew to as many as nine points with five minutes to play. The Lady Eagles didn't give up though, and made things interesting in the final seconds, cutting the lead to 63-60, but Cleveland State hit just enough free throws to seal the win and complete the weekend sweep.
"It was two great wins for these girls to end the regular season and hopefully build some momentum for the tournament," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Mercedes had two great games as did Jessica Harper, but we really played well as a team and that's what we've got to do to be successful."
Harper led Cleveland State with 19 points, Mercedes Smith finished with 15 points and nine rebounds while Robyn Anthony added 12 points. Kelsey Nowlin paced Dyersburg State (7-17, 2-16) with 18 points while Tucker added 13.
Overall Record 12-15
Conference Record 6-12
2/24/2012 Southwest Tennessee 69-67 Win
On Friday night, the Lady Cougars out-rebounded the much taller Lady Saluqis and caused 14 turnovers in the first half. Jessica Harper hit a long 3-pointer in the early going to put the home team on top 7-4. The Lady Saluqis responded with a 13-2 run to take a six point lead, but the Lady Cougars seesawed right back into the lead with nine straight points as Robyn Anthony nailed a trey and Chelsea Jones added a pair of buckets in the paint.
Shanavian Woodland hit two shots from downtown toward the end of the half and Mercedes Smith came off the Cleveland State bench and quickly picked up a pair of buckets in the paint as the Lady Cougars would hold a 36-32 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars maintained a four to six point lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half as the teams traded buckets.TaQualia Mason tossed in three straight baskets as Southwest managed to tie the game and a three-pointer from Kandi Granger put the Lady Saluqis back on top, 67-62 with just over seven minutes to go. Both teams went into the bonus midway through the half as Cleveland State hit 23 of 30 free tosses in the second half.
The lead changed hands four times in the final minutes before Woodland hit three of four free tosses to close the gap to one point with 53 ticks to go and Chelsea Jones put the finishing touches on the win as she hit three of four free throws with less than 30 seconds to play to seal the big conference victory.
Woodland paced the Lady Cougars (12-15, 6-12) with 26 points, Harper added 14 while Jones and Anthony had 11 each. Amber Dunlap led Southwest (19-8, 10-7) with 12 points while Granger finished with 10. Cleveland State hit 28-38 free throws for the game while causing 29 turnovers.
Overall Record 11-15
Conference Record 5-12
2/18/2012 Roane State 84-79 Win
The Raiderettes sizzled the nets to start the women's contest as they hit the Lady Cougars with a 14-2 run almost before the fans were able to settle into their seats. A pair of long range bombs from Hannah Brown and a three-point play by Chelsea Jones helped stop the run as the home team closed the gap.
A nice driving scoop from Shanavian Woodland and a layup by Brown on the break cut the lead to a single point at 22-21 with just under eight minutes to play in the half. The Raiderettes responded as Kayla Gibson knocked down her third trey of the half to help Roane State to a five point advantage at the break, 33-28.
The Raiderettes extended their lead to as much as 11 points early in the second half. Brown, as she did in the first half, kept the Lady Cougars within striking distance with two more 3's while Robyn Anthony and Jessica Harper added driving layups to the cause.
It was Harper with an incredible layup with just under three minutes to go in the game and turning it into a three-point play to give Cleveland State its first lead of the day at 60-59. From there the lead changed hands six times as the intensity level went sky high on both benches. Brown knocked down two free tosses with 25 seconds to go to put the home team on top by three points.
Jill Herman then nailed a fade-away 3-pointer with four ticks left for the Raiderettes to tie the game once again and send it into overtime. In the extra period, Herman hit three more shots including another trey, but a three from Harper tied the game again for Cleveland State at 79 all. A layup from Anthony put the Lady Cougars on top for good seconds later and the home team hit just enough free throws to seal the hard-fought win.
"This was an incredible game," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "We beat them at their place, so we knew they would come out hungry today. This was a great team win. Jessica had a great game, but they took turns coming up with the big play when we needed it the most. That's what we need to have every time out. We've had so much adversity with all the injuries, that it was nice to win a game like this one."
Harper led the way for Cleveland State (10-15, 4-12) with 26 points, Brown finished with 20 points, Anthony added 14 and Shanavian Woodland had 11. Herman paced the Raiderettes with 28 points Kayla Gibson added 19 and Shannon Parks had 11.
Overall Record 10-15
Conference Record 4-12
2/11/2012 @ Chattanooga State 58-76 Loss
The Lady Cougars had the hot hand early and didn't let up as they played perhaps their best half of basketball. Cleveland State had the Lady Tigers back on their heels for much of the first 20 minutes. Hannah Brown hit a trey from the corner and Shanavian Woodland added a pair of long range bombs to the cause to go along with two spinning shots in the paint as the Lady Cougars went on top 12-8.
Cleveland State went on a 10-2 run midway through the half to take their biggest lead at 30-20, but the Lady Tigers responded with a 10-0 run of their own to tie the game once again as Hidaayah Williams and TaQuasha O'Neal hit a 3-pointer each. The lead changed hands seven times in all in the first half ,but Augusta Smith provided a big lift for the Lady Cougars off the bench with two tough shots in the paint to finish the first half and give the visitors a 36-34 advantage at the break.
The Lady Tigers turned up the intensity level a couple of notches to start the second half as a very physical first half turned into a heavyweight boxing match in the second. A 17-5 Lady Tiger run gave the home team a 10 point lead and they never looked back.
April Woodard canned a pair of 3's and Williams did the same as the Chattanooga State lead grew rapidly. A three-point play by Woodard and a pair of tough buckets in the paint from Jasmaine Carey helped to put the game out of reach down the stretch as the Lady Tigers notched the big conference win.
Williams paced the Lady Tigers (17-4, 10-4) with 20 points while Carey and Woodard checked in with 17 each. Woodland led the Lady Cougars (9-14, 3-11) with 18 points while Morgan Rogers finished with 12.
Overall Record 9-14
Conference Record 3-11
2/4/2012 Motlow State 67-61 Win
A pair of nice driving layups from Jessica Harper got the Lady Cougars off and running to start the game on Saturday afternoon. The relentless defensive pressure from the Lady Bucks then took over midway through the first half and Emily Rivers got hot from three-point land at the same time which produced a 20-6 run and a 26-15 Motlow lead.
The Lady Bucks hit seven shots from downtown in all in the first half with Rivers garnering four of them and her 18 points helped the visitors build a 38-30 halftime advantage. Although Cleveland State shot an amazing 63 percent from the floor to 48 for Motlow, the Lady Bucks controlled the boards thus leading to many more shot opportunities and an eight point halftime lead.
Cleveland State scored eight of the first 10 second half points to quickly close the gap. The game remained close for the next several minutes as the lead changed hands on several different ocassions. A three-point play from Harper put the home team on top with just over eight minutes to go and a pair of free tosses from Chelsea Jones put Cleveland State on top again moments later.
After another trey and layup from Rivers put Motlow back on top, Jones claimed the paint as her own and made her living from the free throw line down the stretch. With just over a minute to go, Harper put a nail in the coffin with a long range bomb to put Cleveland State on top for good. Jones hit 10 of 13 free tosses in crunch time and 13 of 17 overall to seal the big conference win.
"The girls played a full 40 minutes today, and that's what we've been stressing all along," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Jessica and Chelsea were unbelievable and we've had so many injuries that they've got to step up and they did today. It was a total team win and we are glad to get it."
Jones led the way for the Lady Cougars with 24 points, Harper added 19 and Morgan Rogers finished with 9. Rivers paced the Lady Bucks (8-9, 5-7) with 25 points. Cleveland State shot a cool 50 percent for the game while holding Motlow to only 35 percent.
Overall Record 8-12
Conference Record 3-10
2/3/2012 Volunteer State 51-60 Loss
On Friday night the Lady Cougars gave the Lady Pioneers all they could handle and then some in the first half. Shanavian Woodland and Shea Nunn sparked an early run by the home team as each lady hit a shot in the lane and then added a long range bomb to help Cleveland State to a 19-8 lead midway through the opening half.
The Lady Pioneers then came to life and finished the half with a 10-2 run as Katie Bliss hit a pair of 3's to cut the Cleveland State lead to 21-18 at the break. Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the first half as Volunteer hit 28 percent of their shots while the Lady Cougars shot only 25 percent from the floor.
Volunteer State picked right up where they left off with an 11-3 run to start the second half. Hannah Brown nailed a long range trey for the Lady Cougars midway through the half to tie the game at 34-34. Brown hit three long shots in the second half and the Lady Cougars hit eight in all, but from there it was all Volunteer State as they went on a 16-2 run to seal the win.
Brown finished with 11 points to lead Cleveland State (9-12, 3-10), Woodland added nine points and 10 boards while Jessica Harper had nine points. Bliss paced Volunteer State (15-6, 7-4) with 17 points, Natasha West had 15 and Heather Vann finished with 12.
Overall Record 7-12
Conference Record 2-10
1/28/2012 @ Jackson State 68-63 Win
On Saturday, Hannah Brown hit a long three-pointer while Shanavian Woodland and Chelsea Jones hit a pair of tough buckets in the paint to help Cleveland State to a three point halftime lead at 29-26.
The Lady Cougars turned up the defensive pressure in the second half as they steadily built their lead. Brown hit another trey while Robyn Anthony did the same and poured in nine of her 15 points to help the visitors to post the road win.
After Anthony's 15 points, Jones finished with 13, Woodland added nine while Jessica Harper and Brown finished with eight points apiece. Shayna Garrett had 23 points in a losing effort for Jackson State.
Overall Record 7-11
Conference Record 2-9
1/27/2012 @ Columbia State 51-79 Loss
The Lady Cougars held their own in the first half, knocking down six 3's. Woodland hit a pair of treys and had 15 first half points as the visitors trailed 35-31 at the break.
It was all Columbia State in the final 20 minutes as Keva Atkins and LaShanta Creary hit a pair of threes each while turning up the defensive a couple of notches at the same time to hold Cleveland State to only 20 second half points.
Woodland finished with 25 points to lead the Lady Cougars (7-11, 2-9) while Atkins led the Lady Chargers with 16 and Creary and Kaylah Gohlston finished with 15 each.
Overall Record 6-11
Conference Record 1-9
1/21/2012 @ Roane State 76-61 Win
The Lady Cougars fell behind by as many as seven points early in the game, but turned up the pressure on the defensive end of the floor and quickly erased the deficit. Hannah Brown, Robyn Anthony, Jessica Harper and Chelsea Jones all took turns hitting a long three-pointer as the visitors went on a 20-12 run midway through the half to take the lead.
A nice driving layup from Harper with just under three minutes to play in the half put the Lady Cougars on top for good as they would hold a 37-30 halftime advantage.
Shanavian Woodland claimed the paint as her own to start the second half with three straight buckets as the Cleveland State lead moved into double figures. Jones hit another 3-pointer and Brown nailed her third of the game as the Lady Cougar lead went to its biggest margin at 18 points with nine minutes to play.
The Raiderettes cut the lead to 10 on a couple of different occassions, but each time the Lady Cougars answered as they notched their first conference win of the year.
"It was good to finally get a win in conference play, we played well for a full 40 minutes today and you see the outcome," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin."
Woodland led the way for Cleveland State (6-10. 1-8) with 18 points, Harper added 12, Brown finished with 11 and Jones had 10. Kaylah Gibson and Shannon Parks led the Raiderettes with 11 points each while Kristina Stephens and Jill Herman had 10 apiece.
Overall Record 6-10
Conference Record 1-8
1/18/2012 Walters State 40-80 Loss
The Lady Senators left no doubt as to who the 9th ranked team in all the land was as they dominated the ladies contest from start to finish. The Walters State stifling defense held the Lady Cougars to only 13 percent shooting in the first half as they hit only 4-30 shots. Kylie Smith and Aisjah Roan hit a three-pointer each to spur a 20-2 run to open the game and the outcome was never in doubt after that. The Lady Sentators shot almost 40 percent and connected at will throughout the first half, taking a 40-10 lead at the break.
The second half was just a formality as the visitors poured it on and cruised to the lopsided win. Portia Durrett led the balanced attack for the Lady Senators with 19 points, Kylie Smith added 12 points and nine rebounds while Akia Jones finished with eight points. Jessica Harper and Brittany Ramsey paced the Lady Cougars (5-10, 0-8) with nine points each and Mercedes Smith chipped in with six. The much taller Lady Senators controlled the boards to the tune of 56-34 and shot 45 percent for the game from the floor.
Overall Record 5-10
Conference Record 0-8
1/7/2012 Chattahoochee Tech 85-61 Win
After nearly a month off for the Christmas holidays, the Lady Cougars showed no signs of rust whatsoever and perhaps played their best basketball of the season in the first half. The Cleveland State ladies sizzled the nets to start the game, hitting nine of their first 12 shots as they hit the Lady Eagles with a 21-2 run to open the contest. Hannah Brown led the charge early as she nailed two of her four 3-pointers in the opening minutes to help set the tone.
Shanavian Woodland added a three of her own and a nice turnaround jumper in the paint while Brittany Ramsey hit both of her shots from downtown and Robyn Anthony chipped in with three driving layups as the Lady Cougars raced to a 43-21 halftime lead. Cleveland State shot a very respectable 44 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes while clamping down on their guests on the defensive end holding them to only 23 percent shooting.
The Lady Cougars held off a pair of Chattahoochee attempts to slice into the lead early in the second half and then answered with runs of their own to put the game completely out of reach. Chelsea Jones hit four straight free tosses, a tough bucket in the paint and a long 3-pointer, Morgan Rogers added a pair of hoops and Mercedes Smith claimed the paint as her own with seven straight points off the bench including an old fashioned three-point play to help the home team cruise to the surprisingly easy win and avenge an earlier loss to the Lady Eagles
"That was definitely a good start coming back from the long break," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "We've worked hard on ball movement and being patient on the offensive end and it was a key today. We've got so many people out with injuries, and Hannah might have broken her finger there at the end of the game, that we have had to adjust and play a little zone and it worked well. We had four girls in double figures, I like to see that, but overall it was a good start to the second half of the season."
Brown paced the Lady Cougars (5-9) with 16 points (all in the first half) Jones finished with 15, Ramsey added 14 and Anthony chipped in with 10 while Woodland cleaned the glass with 11 rebounds. Tequilla Vaughns led Chattahoochee with 18 points while Tiayra Green added 17.
Overall Record 5-9
12/10/2011 Chattanooga State 74-87 Loss
Hannah Brown hit a long 3-pointer to put the home team on top 3-2 in the early going as the ladies game seesawed back and forth the entire first half with the lead changing hands eight times. Chelsea Jones hit a short jumper to put Cleveland State on top 17-12 midway through the half, but April Woodard got hot for the Lady Tigers with a pair of 3's to spur a 9-0 run to quickly erase the lead.
Back to back three-point bombs by Ramsey and Brown put the Lady Cougars back on top moments later, but once again Woodard answered with another three and Hidaayah Willams added a pair of slashing drives to the bucket to help the Lady Tigers hold a 39-36 halftime advantage.
It was more of the same to start the second half as the teams traded baskets in the early going with Chattanooga State holding a slight lead. Another trey from Brown and a nice driving layup from Jessica Harper helped the Lady Cougars to go back on top midway through the period.
Like a heavyweight boxing match, the Lady Tigers came out swinging and proceeded to go on a 12-0 run that would ultimately be the difference in the game. Khamiyah Crawford got red hot for the visitors in the second half with a pair of threes and several short jumpers during the run. From there, the Lady Tigers hit 8-12 free tosses down the stretch to secure the win.
Jones paced the Lady Cougars (4-9, 0-7) with 19 points, Ramsey and Brown finished with 15 each and Harper added 10 points. Crawford led the way for Chattanooga State (8-3, 4-3) with 22 points, Woodard added 20 points while Williams and Jasmain Carey finished with 14 and 12 respectively.
Overall Record 4-9
Conference Record 0-7
12/3/2011 @ Motlow State 44-67 Loss
Hannah Brown nailed a 3-pointer for the first points of the game on Saturday at Copperweld Arena, but as it would turn out, this would be the only lead of the afternoon for the Lady Cougars. The Lady Bucks then scored the next 12 points and nailed eight shots from behind the 3-point line in the first half to take a commanding 34-17 lead at halftime.
LaTasha Taylor hit a pair of threes for Motlow early in the second half as the lead grew steadily. Brittany Ramsey scored four points in the paint while Chelsea Jones came off the bench and added six more, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Lady Bucks crusied to the win.
Jessica Harper paced the Lady Cougars (4-8, 0-6) with 12 points while Mercedes Smith finished with seven. Callisha Johnson led Motlow with 13 points while Alexxus Sturkey added 9.
Overall Record 4-8
Conference Record 0-6
12/2/2011 @ Volunteer State 31-75 Loss
On Friday night in Gallatin, the Lady Cougars got off to a slow start and it went down hill from there. The much taller and very tallented Lady Pioneers wasted no time as they circled the wagons and put the game out of reach well before halftime, taking a 41-19 lead at the break. It got worse for the visitors in the second half as Cleveland State shot an amazingly low 10 percent (3-30) from the floor and finished at 19 percent shooting for the game. Volunteer State shot 40 percent for the game as they handed their guests and ugly loss.
Sara Bliss paced Volunteer State with 18 points, Heather Vann added 13, Katie Bliss finished with 11 and Christina Curtner had 10. Hannah Brown led Cleveland State with 11 points while Brittany Ramsey added six. Volunteer State hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and 19 of their 24 free throws in the game while Cleveland State hit 8-12.
Overall Record 4-7
Conference Record 0-5
11/29/2011 Emmanuel College JV 72-60 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State Lady Cougars bounced back nicely on Tuesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with a 72-60 win over the Emmanuel College Lady Eagles. The Lady Cougars showed no signs of a Thanksgiving hangover or layoff as they shot 42 percent for the game and added six big three-pointers along the way.
The Lady Cougars started the game with a 12-2 run and would never trail. Jessica Harper hit the floor running, scoring the first six points for the home team on a trio of nice driving layups. Brittany Ramsey took over from there with a pair of left handed scoops to the hoop as the lead grew to double digits.
A long range bomb each from Hannah Brown midway through the half, one from Shanavian Woodland and another from Harper with less than a minute to play helped the Lady Cougars to a 10 advantage at the break, 32-22. The Lady Cougars held Emmanuel to only 25 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play while causing 16 turnovers and taking 11 steals.
The Lady Eagles found the mark to start the second half, knocking down six straight points before order could be restored by Cleveland State. Labreshia Blackwell hit a pair of short jumpers in the paint and Precious Lane added three layups as the visitors sliced into the lead, cutting it to only four points on three different occasions.
Emmanuel tied the game with just under 10 minutes to play as Tashia Byrd notched an offensive rebound, but Cleveland State responded with a 13-4 run to right the ship. Ramsey canned back to back treys from the corner while Brown chipped in with one of her own to push the lead back to double digits at 63-53.
The Lady Cougars would not be denied on this night as they finished as strong as they had started to cruise to the 12 point win. Ramsey nailed three of four free tosses down the stretch and led all scorers for Cleveland State (4-6) with 25 points and added 10 rebounds and four steals while Harper finished with 18 points. Blackwell and Lane paced Emmanuel with 10 and nine points respectively.
"It was good to get a win, we needed it badly," explained Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "We started well, but we let up to start the second half and let them back in it. We can't do that and expect to win. Emmanuel is a very athletic team and they shot the ball well tonight. We've got so many girls on crutches, we've got to have someone step up and score for us and Brittany did that tonight. She can shoot the ball and we did a good job of getting her the ball tonight."
Both Cleveland State teams will travel to Middle Tennessee this weekend for a pair of key conference matchups, on Friday at Volunteer State and Saturday at Motlow State. The Saturday contest can be watched live over the Cougar Sports Network Webcast by going to the Cleveland State website and clicking on watch live starting at 2:00 Eastern time.
Overall Record 4-6
11/22/2011 University of the Cumberlands JV 50-60 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Lady Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands came into L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium on Tuesday night and pulled off the upset over the Cleveland State Lady Cougars, handing the home team a shocking 60-50 non-conference loss.
To say that the Lady Cougars were ice cold from the floor in the first half of the game, would be an understatement as the home team managing to hit only 19 percent (7-36) of their shots. Jaimie Cabage hit three straight buckets in the paint including a three-point play, for the Lady Patriots to help her team take an early 7-3 lead.
Hannah Brown put her team on top midway through the first half with a pair of shots from downtown and added a pair of free tosses as the Lady Cougars surged into the lead. The Lady Patriots made a small run in the final seconds of the half as Cabage added four more of her 17 first half points to close the Cleveland State lead to only one point at the break, 24-23.
The Lady Patriots picked right up where they left off with a 13-2 run to start the second half and would never be seriously threatened the rest of the way. Cabage nailed a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play as the Cumberland lead ballooned to 10 points at 36-26.
A steal and layup by Brown at the 5:41 mark cut the Cumberland lead to five points, but that would be as close as the Lady Cougars would get as the visitors hit 7-11 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Lady Cougars had a difficult time finding the net all night long, shooting just 22 percent for the game including 2-32 from three-point land, while the Lady Patriots hit 43 percent of their shots.
Cabage led the way for the Lady Patriots with 30 points and 18 rebounds while Erin Sears added 11 points. Brown paced Cleveland State (3-6) with 10 points while Cash Champion finished with nine points before leaving the game with a knee injury.
The Lady Cougars will return to action after the holidays on Tuesday night to host Emmanuel College.
Overall Record 3-6
11/19/2011 Jackson State 53-66 Loss
The Lady Gernerals dictated the tempo in the first half as they started the game with a 13-5 run. Cleveland State could hardly buy a bucket in the early going while committing 15 turnovers. Cash Champion sparked a Lady Cougar run at the seven minute mark as the home team suddenly came to life and went on a 14-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 20-17. The teams traded buckets the rest of the half with the Lady Generals holding a 27-25 advantage at the break.
Brittany Ramsey sparked the Lady Cougars early in the second half with a 3-point play and another nice driving layup to cut the lead to only two points at 38-36, but from that point on it was all Jackson State as the visitors steadily widened the gap. Shayna Garret hit another of her patented turnaround hook shots in the paint to push the lead to 10 points as the Lady Generals cruised to the big win.
Garrett led the way for Jackson State (3-3, 2-2) with 17 points including 10 in the second half to go along with 11 boards, Rachel Savage added 13 points and Christy Steel finished with 11. Ramsey paced the Lady Cougars with 16 points while Champion added 15.
Overall Record 3-5
Conference Record 0-4
11/18/2011 Columbia State 61-70 Loss
The ladies game was more of a track meet than a basketball game as the undefeated Lady Chargers were running and gunning from the time they got off the bus until the final horn. The Lady Cougars managed to briefly take a lead in each half, but each time the Lady Chargers raced right back to the lead.
After trailing 9-2 early, the Lady Cougars used an 8-0 run to take the lead in the first half at 19-17. Kelva Atkins and Kaylah Gholson took turns racing down the court for layups as the visitors would hold a 33-27 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars stayed right on the heels of the Columbia State team throughout the second half and briefly took the lead as Brittany Ramsey nailed back to back 3-pointers with just over seven minutes to go. But, the comeback would end there as the Lady Chargers finished the game with a 16-6 run to secure the win.
Ramsey had a big night to pace the Lady Cougars (3-5, 0-4) with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Robyn Anthony and Cash Champion added 11 and 10 points respectively. Atkins led all scorers with 23 points for Columbia State (5-0, 3-0) while Gholson just missed a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight steals.
Overall Record 3-4
Conference Record 0-3
11/15/2011 Northwest Georgia Technical College 81-34 Win
The Lady Cougars hit their guests with a 13-4 run to open the contest and never looked back. Shanavian Woodland knocked down the first five points of the game, Mercedes Smith took control of the paint and the offensive boards with eight big points off the bench and Robyn Anthony led the break as Cleveland State outran the Lady Bobcats for a 41-23 halftime advantage.
The Lady Cougars were relentless on the defensive end of the court in the first half causing 14 turnovers and holding Northwest to 33 percent shooting while winning the rebound battle, 37-16. It got better for the home team in the second half as they dominated the boards on both ends of the court out-rebounding the Lady Bobcats 64-33 for the game while holding them to 16 percent shooting and 25 percent for the game.
The 18 point lead grew steadily throughout the second half as Breonna Armstrong, Augusta Smith, Shea Nunn, Brittany Ramsey and Morgan Rogers all got into the scoring column to help the home team cruise to a lopsided win.
"We are going to have to play better defensively when we get into conference play this weekend," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Our rebounding stats were impressive because we missed so many shots. We did hustle and play hard and we did do a better job in the second half. We need rebounds. Mercedes and Morgan Rogers got 10 apiece and that's what we've got to have every night."
Smith led the way with 12 points while Woodland and Rogers paced the Lady Cougars (3-3) with 11 points each. Cash Champion finished with 10. Mia Morrow led the Lady Bobcats (0-2) with 10 points and Boo McPherson added seven.
Overall Record 3-3
11/12/2011 @ Dyersburg State 74-85 Loss
The Lady Cougars seemed poised to get a split for themselves for the weekend as they opened up a 46-23 halftime lead on the Lady Eagles on Saturday. Jessica Harper had all 13 of her points in the first half for the Lady Cougars including a pair of three-pointers while Cash Champion added 10 points including six of six from the free throw line.
The second half was like another world had replaced the first 20 minutes of play as the Lady Cougars were helpless to stop the parade of Lady Eagles to the free throw line. After hitting just one of four free tosses in the first half, the Lady Eagles went to the line an unprecedented 44 times in the second half, hitting 37 times to turn a 23 point halftime deficit into an 11 point win. Cleveland State hit 26 of their 35 attempts for the game.
"We played well in the first half and everything was going well as we built a 23 point lead at halftime," explained Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Then they shot 44 free throws in the second half. It was one of the most unreal experiences that I've ever had. I don't know if I have ever seen anything like that. A 23 point halftime lead is not nearly enough when the other team shoots 44 free throws in the second half. We didn't change anything that we were doing in the second half, it was amazing."
Morgan Rogers paced the Lady Cougars with 19 points, Harper finished with 13 while Champion and Robyn Anthony added 11 points each. Jasmine Duke led the Eagles with 21 points, Sharonda Brabson added 15 and Jenique Jennings had 13.
Overall Record 2-3
Conference Record 0-2
11/11/2011 @ Southwest Tennessee 71-79 Loss
The Lady Cougars stayed within striking distance of the very athletic Lady Saluqis all game long on Friday night, but just couldn't quite catch them. The Southwest ladies sizzled the nets to the tune of 60 percent shooting in the first half as they would hold a 46-37 lead at halftime.
Cleveland State cut into the lead several times in the second half, slicing the advantage to only two points on a couple of ocassions, but were again, unable to jump on top. The Lady Saluquis converted 17 of 26 free throws in the second half and hit 30 of 47 for the game while the Lady Cougars hit just 21 of 34 for the game and shot only 35 percent from the floor in the contest.
"We had our chances against Southwest, but just couldn't get over the hump," Lumpkin said. "We would cut it to two, but couldn't hit the next shot. Southwest is a good, quick, agressive team and they played well."
Harper led the Lady Cougars (2-3, 0-2) with 13 points while Shanavian Woodland added 10 points and eight boards. Amber Dunlap led the Lady Saluqis with 22 points while Erica Ousley added 16.
Overall Record 2-2
Conference Record 0-1
11/8/2011 Snead State 77-44 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State Lady Cougars got back to their winning ways on Tuesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with a lopsided win over the Snead State Lady Parsons. The Cleveland State (2-1) ladies started with the hot hand and kept it throughout the game as they coasted to victory and in the process handed Snead State (3-1) their first setback of the season.
Shanavian Woodland converted a pair of nice running layups in traffic as the Lady Cougars opened the women's contest with a 10-3 run and would never trail in the game. Robyn Anthony provided a spark off the Cleveland State bench with a pair of steals and layups as the lead grew steadily.
A driving layup by Jessica Harper and an offensive rebound and putback from Mercedes Smith helped the Lady Cougars finish the half on a 14-2 run. Harper put the finishing touches on the first 20 minutes of play with 3-pointer from the corner for a 39-20 lead at the break.
"We played our game tonight, unlike last Saturday at Chattahoochee," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "We didn't have defensive pressure or the intensity that I wanted on Saturday and we did tonight. This is what I expect each and every night and I told them that. Jessica had a great game, she attacked the basket, hit all three of her three-pointers and took care of the ball. We need her to do that every night. That was the old Jessica and I was glad to see it."
Harper picked up right where she left off with another long shot from downtown to get the Lady Cougars started in the second half. Brittany Ramsey got in on the scoring fun midway through the second half with a nice hook shot, a layup in traffic and a 3-pointer for good measure as the lead ballooned to 30 points at 72-42. Chariah Gordon, Augusta Smith, Shea Nunn, Breonna Armstrong, Morgan Rogers and Hannah Brown all took turns making baskets down the stretch to finish off the runaway win.
The Lady Cougars turned up the defensive pressure holding the Lady Parsons to only 22 percent shooting in the first half and 25 percent for the game while shooting 50 percent in the second half and 44 percent for the game themselves. Cleveland State won the battle on the boards 51-36 and caused 22 turnovers while committing only 11.
"It was a good win over a good team," Lumpkin continued. "We played for 40 minutes, we didn't let up for the most part, we battled on the boards and that is what we need to do when we get into conference play."
Harper led the way for the Lady Cougars with 16 points, Ramsey added 13 points and eight rebounds and Anthony finished a good nights work with 13 points, five boards and five steals and Cash Champion added eight points. Destriny Ham and Alicia Poole paced the Lady Parsons with nine points each.
Overall Record 2-1
11/5/2011 @ Chattahoochee Tech 61-67 Loss
The Lady Cougars suffered their first loss of the young season as they suffered through a tough shooting night, trailing 35-29 at halftime. Cleveland State ladies stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, but could never quite get over the hump the rest of the way. Robyn Anthony paced Cleveland State with 10 points, Hannah Brown added nine while Breonna Armstrong and Jessica Harper chipped in with eight points apiece. Tequilla Vaughns led the Lady Eagles with 25 points while Tiayra Green added 14.
Overall Record 1-1
11/2/2011 @ Emmanuel College 57-48 Win
The Lady Cougars got their season off and running on the right foot one night earlier as they openend on the road with a trip to Franklin Springs, Georgia and Emmanuel College. The Lady Cougars got it done in crunch time to pull away in the end for win number one by a final count of 57-48.
After leading by 10 points at halftime (32-22), despite battling foul problems all night long, the Lady Cougars held off several second half runs by Emmanuel to hold on for the hard fought win. Neither team shot the ball particularly well as the Lady Cougars hit 38 percent of their shots for the game while holding Emmanuel to only 30 percent for the contest. Emmanuel hit 17 or 36 free tosses while the Lady Cougars knocked down 8 of 20 shots from the charity stripe.
Robyn Anthony was the only player on either team to get into double digits in the scoring column as she led Cleveland State with 10 points. Anthony, Cash Champion, Jessica Harper and Shanavian Woodland had three steals each as the visitors swiped the ball 21 times in the game. Woodland and Hannah Brown chipped in with nine points apiece for the Lady Cougars as Brown nailed three of her four shots from behind the three-point line. Chariah Gordon added six points while Champion and Morgan Rogers had five points each. Michelle Wynn and Labreshia Blackwell paced Emmanuel with nine points each.
"It was a tough physical game," commented Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "They attempted more than twice as many free throws as we did and we were in foul trouble throughout the game.They had a big girl inside and we had no answer for her on the boards. It was close the whole way until the last minutes of the game when we got a couple of steals and quick baskets to pull away and hang on. It was a good game to get the season started."
Both teams will travel to Chattahoochee Tech near Atlanta on Saturday for a pair of games starting at 5:30.
Overall Record 1-0
3/6/2012 Dyersburg State @ TCCAA Tournament Jackson, TN 56-64 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
JACKSON - The final curtain came crashing down on the 2011/2012 basketball season for the Cleveland State Lady Cougars on Tuesday night in the first round of the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Basketball Tournament at Jackson State Community College. The 10th seeded Dyersburg State Lady Eagles soared to the upset win by a final score of 64-56.
Made baskets were few and far between in the first half for both teams. The Lady Eagles started hot and jumped out to an 11-4 lead. Slowly, the Lady Cougars inched their way back into the game as Shea Nunn hit a long three-pointer to cut the lead to three points at 20-17.
Cleveland State showed signs of life in the final minutes of the half as they finished with a 10-3 run as Mercedes Smith came off the bench and immediately grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds for putbacks to give the Lady Cougars a 25-23 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars picked right up where they left off to start the second half with a 10-4 run to take their largest lead of the night, 36-27. Jessica Harper led the charge with a three-point bomb and six free tosses.
For some unexplained reason, the Lady Cougar offense came to a grinding halt as they went almost seven minutes without scoring a point. The Lady Eagles seized the momentum and never gave it back as they went on an 18-0 run to turn a nine point Cleveland State lead into an eight point deficit and the Lady Cougars never recovered.
The Lady Cougars didn't quit though, as they cut the lead to one point after a pair of tough buckets in the paint by Chelsea Jones, but the Lady Eagles responded with a three-point play by Sharonda Brabson and a 3-pointer from Chasity Hamilton provided the cushion Dyersburg would need to secure the win. Dyersburg State will not have long to celebrate as they will advance to play second-seeded Columbia State on Thursday.
In the end, Cleveland State turnovers and offensive rebounds by Dyersburg State would prove to be too big a mountain to climb as the season came to an end for the Lady Cougars.
Harper led the Lady Cougars (12-16) with 14 points while Shanavian Woodland and Chelsea Jones finished with 10 points each. Brabson paced the Lady Eagles with 20 points while Jasmine Duke added 16 and Hamilton had 11.
In the other first round women's matchup, Jackson State (9th seed) topped Roane State (8th), 68-54 and will move on to face top seeded and Nationally 10th ranked Walters State on Thursday.
2/25/2012 Dyersburg State 65-60 Win
Be it great defense or just bad shooting, made baskets were few and far between for the Lady Eagles and Lady Cougars on Saturday afternoon. The lead changed hands seven times in all. Chelsea Jones and Jessica Harper knocked down a trey each for Cleveland State to put them on top, but Marina Harwell and Makenzie Tucker hit two 3's each for Dyersburg to swing the momentum.
Mercedes Smith, as she did on Friday night, came off the Lady Cougar bench to provide a spark and offset the huge size advantage by Dyersburg to toss in eight first half points as the game was knotted at 26-26 at halftime. Cleveland State shot only 22 percent in the first half to 30 for Dyersburg, but the Lady Cougars made up for it by hitting 12 of 15 free throws.
The cold shooting continued for the Lady Cougars in the second half until Jessica Harper got hot at just the right time. Harper proceeded to rain three-pointers down from all points on the floor hitting three straight to spur a Cleveland State 10-2 run and give the home team a 41-37 lead.
Hannah Brown nailed her second trey of the contest and Mercedes Smith continued her good work in the paint with another offensive rebound and hoop as the Lady Cougars lead grew to as many as nine points with five minutes to play. The Lady Eagles didn't give up though, and made things interesting in the final seconds, cutting the lead to 63-60, but Cleveland State hit just enough free throws to seal the win and complete the weekend sweep.
"It was two great wins for these girls to end the regular season and hopefully build some momentum for the tournament," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Mercedes had two great games as did Jessica Harper, but we really played well as a team and that's what we've got to do to be successful."
Harper led Cleveland State with 19 points, Mercedes Smith finished with 15 points and nine rebounds while Robyn Anthony added 12 points. Kelsey Nowlin paced Dyersburg State (7-17, 2-16) with 18 points while Tucker added 13.
Overall Record 12-15
Conference Record 6-12
2/24/2012 Southwest Tennessee 69-67 Win
On Friday night, the Lady Cougars out-rebounded the much taller Lady Saluqis and caused 14 turnovers in the first half. Jessica Harper hit a long 3-pointer in the early going to put the home team on top 7-4. The Lady Saluqis responded with a 13-2 run to take a six point lead, but the Lady Cougars seesawed right back into the lead with nine straight points as Robyn Anthony nailed a trey and Chelsea Jones added a pair of buckets in the paint.
Shanavian Woodland hit two shots from downtown toward the end of the half and Mercedes Smith came off the Cleveland State bench and quickly picked up a pair of buckets in the paint as the Lady Cougars would hold a 36-32 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars maintained a four to six point lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half as the teams traded buckets.TaQualia Mason tossed in three straight baskets as Southwest managed to tie the game and a three-pointer from Kandi Granger put the Lady Saluqis back on top, 67-62 with just over seven minutes to go. Both teams went into the bonus midway through the half as Cleveland State hit 23 of 30 free tosses in the second half.
The lead changed hands four times in the final minutes before Woodland hit three of four free tosses to close the gap to one point with 53 ticks to go and Chelsea Jones put the finishing touches on the win as she hit three of four free throws with less than 30 seconds to play to seal the big conference victory.
Woodland paced the Lady Cougars (12-15, 6-12) with 26 points, Harper added 14 while Jones and Anthony had 11 each. Amber Dunlap led Southwest (19-8, 10-7) with 12 points while Granger finished with 10. Cleveland State hit 28-38 free throws for the game while causing 29 turnovers.
Overall Record 11-15
Conference Record 5-12
2/18/2012 Roane State 84-79 Win
The Raiderettes sizzled the nets to start the women's contest as they hit the Lady Cougars with a 14-2 run almost before the fans were able to settle into their seats. A pair of long range bombs from Hannah Brown and a three-point play by Chelsea Jones helped stop the run as the home team closed the gap.
A nice driving scoop from Shanavian Woodland and a layup by Brown on the break cut the lead to a single point at 22-21 with just under eight minutes to play in the half. The Raiderettes responded as Kayla Gibson knocked down her third trey of the half to help Roane State to a five point advantage at the break, 33-28.
The Raiderettes extended their lead to as much as 11 points early in the second half. Brown, as she did in the first half, kept the Lady Cougars within striking distance with two more 3's while Robyn Anthony and Jessica Harper added driving layups to the cause.
It was Harper with an incredible layup with just under three minutes to go in the game and turning it into a three-point play to give Cleveland State its first lead of the day at 60-59. From there the lead changed hands six times as the intensity level went sky high on both benches. Brown knocked down two free tosses with 25 seconds to go to put the home team on top by three points.
Jill Herman then nailed a fade-away 3-pointer with four ticks left for the Raiderettes to tie the game once again and send it into overtime. In the extra period, Herman hit three more shots including another trey, but a three from Harper tied the game again for Cleveland State at 79 all. A layup from Anthony put the Lady Cougars on top for good seconds later and the home team hit just enough free throws to seal the hard-fought win.
"This was an incredible game," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "We beat them at their place, so we knew they would come out hungry today. This was a great team win. Jessica had a great game, but they took turns coming up with the big play when we needed it the most. That's what we need to have every time out. We've had so much adversity with all the injuries, that it was nice to win a game like this one."
Harper led the way for Cleveland State (10-15, 4-12) with 26 points, Brown finished with 20 points, Anthony added 14 and Shanavian Woodland had 11. Herman paced the Raiderettes with 28 points Kayla Gibson added 19 and Shannon Parks had 11.
Overall Record 10-15
Conference Record 4-12
2/11/2012 @ Chattanooga State 58-76 Loss
The Lady Cougars had the hot hand early and didn't let up as they played perhaps their best half of basketball. Cleveland State had the Lady Tigers back on their heels for much of the first 20 minutes. Hannah Brown hit a trey from the corner and Shanavian Woodland added a pair of long range bombs to the cause to go along with two spinning shots in the paint as the Lady Cougars went on top 12-8.
Cleveland State went on a 10-2 run midway through the half to take their biggest lead at 30-20, but the Lady Tigers responded with a 10-0 run of their own to tie the game once again as Hidaayah Williams and TaQuasha O'Neal hit a 3-pointer each. The lead changed hands seven times in all in the first half ,but Augusta Smith provided a big lift for the Lady Cougars off the bench with two tough shots in the paint to finish the first half and give the visitors a 36-34 advantage at the break.
The Lady Tigers turned up the intensity level a couple of notches to start the second half as a very physical first half turned into a heavyweight boxing match in the second. A 17-5 Lady Tiger run gave the home team a 10 point lead and they never looked back.
April Woodard canned a pair of 3's and Williams did the same as the Chattanooga State lead grew rapidly. A three-point play by Woodard and a pair of tough buckets in the paint from Jasmaine Carey helped to put the game out of reach down the stretch as the Lady Tigers notched the big conference win.
Williams paced the Lady Tigers (17-4, 10-4) with 20 points while Carey and Woodard checked in with 17 each. Woodland led the Lady Cougars (9-14, 3-11) with 18 points while Morgan Rogers finished with 12.
Overall Record 9-14
Conference Record 3-11
2/4/2012 Motlow State 67-61 Win
A pair of nice driving layups from Jessica Harper got the Lady Cougars off and running to start the game on Saturday afternoon. The relentless defensive pressure from the Lady Bucks then took over midway through the first half and Emily Rivers got hot from three-point land at the same time which produced a 20-6 run and a 26-15 Motlow lead.
The Lady Bucks hit seven shots from downtown in all in the first half with Rivers garnering four of them and her 18 points helped the visitors build a 38-30 halftime advantage. Although Cleveland State shot an amazing 63 percent from the floor to 48 for Motlow, the Lady Bucks controlled the boards thus leading to many more shot opportunities and an eight point halftime lead.
Cleveland State scored eight of the first 10 second half points to quickly close the gap. The game remained close for the next several minutes as the lead changed hands on several different ocassions. A three-point play from Harper put the home team on top with just over eight minutes to go and a pair of free tosses from Chelsea Jones put Cleveland State on top again moments later.
After another trey and layup from Rivers put Motlow back on top, Jones claimed the paint as her own and made her living from the free throw line down the stretch. With just over a minute to go, Harper put a nail in the coffin with a long range bomb to put Cleveland State on top for good. Jones hit 10 of 13 free tosses in crunch time and 13 of 17 overall to seal the big conference win.
"The girls played a full 40 minutes today, and that's what we've been stressing all along," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Jessica and Chelsea were unbelievable and we've had so many injuries that they've got to step up and they did today. It was a total team win and we are glad to get it."
Jones led the way for the Lady Cougars with 24 points, Harper added 19 and Morgan Rogers finished with 9. Rivers paced the Lady Bucks (8-9, 5-7) with 25 points. Cleveland State shot a cool 50 percent for the game while holding Motlow to only 35 percent.
Overall Record 8-12
Conference Record 3-10
2/3/2012 Volunteer State 51-60 Loss
On Friday night the Lady Cougars gave the Lady Pioneers all they could handle and then some in the first half. Shanavian Woodland and Shea Nunn sparked an early run by the home team as each lady hit a shot in the lane and then added a long range bomb to help Cleveland State to a 19-8 lead midway through the opening half.
The Lady Pioneers then came to life and finished the half with a 10-2 run as Katie Bliss hit a pair of 3's to cut the Cleveland State lead to 21-18 at the break. Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the first half as Volunteer hit 28 percent of their shots while the Lady Cougars shot only 25 percent from the floor.
Volunteer State picked right up where they left off with an 11-3 run to start the second half. Hannah Brown nailed a long range trey for the Lady Cougars midway through the half to tie the game at 34-34. Brown hit three long shots in the second half and the Lady Cougars hit eight in all, but from there it was all Volunteer State as they went on a 16-2 run to seal the win.
Brown finished with 11 points to lead Cleveland State (9-12, 3-10), Woodland added nine points and 10 boards while Jessica Harper had nine points. Bliss paced Volunteer State (15-6, 7-4) with 17 points, Natasha West had 15 and Heather Vann finished with 12.
Overall Record 7-12
Conference Record 2-10
1/28/2012 @ Jackson State 68-63 Win
On Saturday, Hannah Brown hit a long three-pointer while Shanavian Woodland and Chelsea Jones hit a pair of tough buckets in the paint to help Cleveland State to a three point halftime lead at 29-26.
The Lady Cougars turned up the defensive pressure in the second half as they steadily built their lead. Brown hit another trey while Robyn Anthony did the same and poured in nine of her 15 points to help the visitors to post the road win.
After Anthony's 15 points, Jones finished with 13, Woodland added nine while Jessica Harper and Brown finished with eight points apiece. Shayna Garrett had 23 points in a losing effort for Jackson State.
Overall Record 7-11
Conference Record 2-9
1/27/2012 @ Columbia State 51-79 Loss
The Lady Cougars held their own in the first half, knocking down six 3's. Woodland hit a pair of treys and had 15 first half points as the visitors trailed 35-31 at the break.
It was all Columbia State in the final 20 minutes as Keva Atkins and LaShanta Creary hit a pair of threes each while turning up the defensive a couple of notches at the same time to hold Cleveland State to only 20 second half points.
Woodland finished with 25 points to lead the Lady Cougars (7-11, 2-9) while Atkins led the Lady Chargers with 16 and Creary and Kaylah Gohlston finished with 15 each.
Overall Record 6-11
Conference Record 1-9
1/21/2012 @ Roane State 76-61 Win
The Lady Cougars fell behind by as many as seven points early in the game, but turned up the pressure on the defensive end of the floor and quickly erased the deficit. Hannah Brown, Robyn Anthony, Jessica Harper and Chelsea Jones all took turns hitting a long three-pointer as the visitors went on a 20-12 run midway through the half to take the lead.
A nice driving layup from Harper with just under three minutes to play in the half put the Lady Cougars on top for good as they would hold a 37-30 halftime advantage.
Shanavian Woodland claimed the paint as her own to start the second half with three straight buckets as the Cleveland State lead moved into double figures. Jones hit another 3-pointer and Brown nailed her third of the game as the Lady Cougar lead went to its biggest margin at 18 points with nine minutes to play.
The Raiderettes cut the lead to 10 on a couple of different occassions, but each time the Lady Cougars answered as they notched their first conference win of the year.
"It was good to finally get a win in conference play, we played well for a full 40 minutes today and you see the outcome," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin."
Woodland led the way for Cleveland State (6-10. 1-8) with 18 points, Harper added 12, Brown finished with 11 and Jones had 10. Kaylah Gibson and Shannon Parks led the Raiderettes with 11 points each while Kristina Stephens and Jill Herman had 10 apiece.
Overall Record 6-10
Conference Record 1-8
1/18/2012 Walters State 40-80 Loss
The Lady Senators left no doubt as to who the 9th ranked team in all the land was as they dominated the ladies contest from start to finish. The Walters State stifling defense held the Lady Cougars to only 13 percent shooting in the first half as they hit only 4-30 shots. Kylie Smith and Aisjah Roan hit a three-pointer each to spur a 20-2 run to open the game and the outcome was never in doubt after that. The Lady Sentators shot almost 40 percent and connected at will throughout the first half, taking a 40-10 lead at the break.
The second half was just a formality as the visitors poured it on and cruised to the lopsided win. Portia Durrett led the balanced attack for the Lady Senators with 19 points, Kylie Smith added 12 points and nine rebounds while Akia Jones finished with eight points. Jessica Harper and Brittany Ramsey paced the Lady Cougars (5-10, 0-8) with nine points each and Mercedes Smith chipped in with six. The much taller Lady Senators controlled the boards to the tune of 56-34 and shot 45 percent for the game from the floor.
Overall Record 5-10
Conference Record 0-8
1/7/2012 Chattahoochee Tech 85-61 Win
After nearly a month off for the Christmas holidays, the Lady Cougars showed no signs of rust whatsoever and perhaps played their best basketball of the season in the first half. The Cleveland State ladies sizzled the nets to start the game, hitting nine of their first 12 shots as they hit the Lady Eagles with a 21-2 run to open the contest. Hannah Brown led the charge early as she nailed two of her four 3-pointers in the opening minutes to help set the tone.
Shanavian Woodland added a three of her own and a nice turnaround jumper in the paint while Brittany Ramsey hit both of her shots from downtown and Robyn Anthony chipped in with three driving layups as the Lady Cougars raced to a 43-21 halftime lead. Cleveland State shot a very respectable 44 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes while clamping down on their guests on the defensive end holding them to only 23 percent shooting.
The Lady Cougars held off a pair of Chattahoochee attempts to slice into the lead early in the second half and then answered with runs of their own to put the game completely out of reach. Chelsea Jones hit four straight free tosses, a tough bucket in the paint and a long 3-pointer, Morgan Rogers added a pair of hoops and Mercedes Smith claimed the paint as her own with seven straight points off the bench including an old fashioned three-point play to help the home team cruise to the surprisingly easy win and avenge an earlier loss to the Lady Eagles
"That was definitely a good start coming back from the long break," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "We've worked hard on ball movement and being patient on the offensive end and it was a key today. We've got so many people out with injuries, and Hannah might have broken her finger there at the end of the game, that we have had to adjust and play a little zone and it worked well. We had four girls in double figures, I like to see that, but overall it was a good start to the second half of the season."
Brown paced the Lady Cougars (5-9) with 16 points (all in the first half) Jones finished with 15, Ramsey added 14 and Anthony chipped in with 10 while Woodland cleaned the glass with 11 rebounds. Tequilla Vaughns led Chattahoochee with 18 points while Tiayra Green added 17.
Overall Record 5-9
12/10/2011 Chattanooga State 74-87 Loss
Hannah Brown hit a long 3-pointer to put the home team on top 3-2 in the early going as the ladies game seesawed back and forth the entire first half with the lead changing hands eight times. Chelsea Jones hit a short jumper to put Cleveland State on top 17-12 midway through the half, but April Woodard got hot for the Lady Tigers with a pair of 3's to spur a 9-0 run to quickly erase the lead.
Back to back three-point bombs by Ramsey and Brown put the Lady Cougars back on top moments later, but once again Woodard answered with another three and Hidaayah Willams added a pair of slashing drives to the bucket to help the Lady Tigers hold a 39-36 halftime advantage.
It was more of the same to start the second half as the teams traded baskets in the early going with Chattanooga State holding a slight lead. Another trey from Brown and a nice driving layup from Jessica Harper helped the Lady Cougars to go back on top midway through the period.
Like a heavyweight boxing match, the Lady Tigers came out swinging and proceeded to go on a 12-0 run that would ultimately be the difference in the game. Khamiyah Crawford got red hot for the visitors in the second half with a pair of threes and several short jumpers during the run. From there, the Lady Tigers hit 8-12 free tosses down the stretch to secure the win.
Jones paced the Lady Cougars (4-9, 0-7) with 19 points, Ramsey and Brown finished with 15 each and Harper added 10 points. Crawford led the way for Chattanooga State (8-3, 4-3) with 22 points, Woodard added 20 points while Williams and Jasmain Carey finished with 14 and 12 respectively.
Overall Record 4-9
Conference Record 0-7
12/3/2011 @ Motlow State 44-67 Loss
Hannah Brown nailed a 3-pointer for the first points of the game on Saturday at Copperweld Arena, but as it would turn out, this would be the only lead of the afternoon for the Lady Cougars. The Lady Bucks then scored the next 12 points and nailed eight shots from behind the 3-point line in the first half to take a commanding 34-17 lead at halftime.
LaTasha Taylor hit a pair of threes for Motlow early in the second half as the lead grew steadily. Brittany Ramsey scored four points in the paint while Chelsea Jones came off the bench and added six more, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Lady Bucks crusied to the win.
Jessica Harper paced the Lady Cougars (4-8, 0-6) with 12 points while Mercedes Smith finished with seven. Callisha Johnson led Motlow with 13 points while Alexxus Sturkey added 9.
Overall Record 4-8
Conference Record 0-6
12/2/2011 @ Volunteer State 31-75 Loss
On Friday night in Gallatin, the Lady Cougars got off to a slow start and it went down hill from there. The much taller and very tallented Lady Pioneers wasted no time as they circled the wagons and put the game out of reach well before halftime, taking a 41-19 lead at the break. It got worse for the visitors in the second half as Cleveland State shot an amazingly low 10 percent (3-30) from the floor and finished at 19 percent shooting for the game. Volunteer State shot 40 percent for the game as they handed their guests and ugly loss.
Sara Bliss paced Volunteer State with 18 points, Heather Vann added 13, Katie Bliss finished with 11 and Christina Curtner had 10. Hannah Brown led Cleveland State with 11 points while Brittany Ramsey added six. Volunteer State hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and 19 of their 24 free throws in the game while Cleveland State hit 8-12.
Overall Record 4-7
Conference Record 0-5
11/29/2011 Emmanuel College JV 72-60 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State Lady Cougars bounced back nicely on Tuesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with a 72-60 win over the Emmanuel College Lady Eagles. The Lady Cougars showed no signs of a Thanksgiving hangover or layoff as they shot 42 percent for the game and added six big three-pointers along the way.
The Lady Cougars started the game with a 12-2 run and would never trail. Jessica Harper hit the floor running, scoring the first six points for the home team on a trio of nice driving layups. Brittany Ramsey took over from there with a pair of left handed scoops to the hoop as the lead grew to double digits.
A long range bomb each from Hannah Brown midway through the half, one from Shanavian Woodland and another from Harper with less than a minute to play helped the Lady Cougars to a 10 advantage at the break, 32-22. The Lady Cougars held Emmanuel to only 25 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play while causing 16 turnovers and taking 11 steals.
The Lady Eagles found the mark to start the second half, knocking down six straight points before order could be restored by Cleveland State. Labreshia Blackwell hit a pair of short jumpers in the paint and Precious Lane added three layups as the visitors sliced into the lead, cutting it to only four points on three different occasions.
Emmanuel tied the game with just under 10 minutes to play as Tashia Byrd notched an offensive rebound, but Cleveland State responded with a 13-4 run to right the ship. Ramsey canned back to back treys from the corner while Brown chipped in with one of her own to push the lead back to double digits at 63-53.
The Lady Cougars would not be denied on this night as they finished as strong as they had started to cruise to the 12 point win. Ramsey nailed three of four free tosses down the stretch and led all scorers for Cleveland State (4-6) with 25 points and added 10 rebounds and four steals while Harper finished with 18 points. Blackwell and Lane paced Emmanuel with 10 and nine points respectively.
"It was good to get a win, we needed it badly," explained Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "We started well, but we let up to start the second half and let them back in it. We can't do that and expect to win. Emmanuel is a very athletic team and they shot the ball well tonight. We've got so many girls on crutches, we've got to have someone step up and score for us and Brittany did that tonight. She can shoot the ball and we did a good job of getting her the ball tonight."
Both Cleveland State teams will travel to Middle Tennessee this weekend for a pair of key conference matchups, on Friday at Volunteer State and Saturday at Motlow State. The Saturday contest can be watched live over the Cougar Sports Network Webcast by going to the Cleveland State website and clicking on watch live starting at 2:00 Eastern time.
Overall Record 4-6
11/22/2011 University of the Cumberlands JV 50-60 Loss
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Lady Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands came into L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium on Tuesday night and pulled off the upset over the Cleveland State Lady Cougars, handing the home team a shocking 60-50 non-conference loss.
To say that the Lady Cougars were ice cold from the floor in the first half of the game, would be an understatement as the home team managing to hit only 19 percent (7-36) of their shots. Jaimie Cabage hit three straight buckets in the paint including a three-point play, for the Lady Patriots to help her team take an early 7-3 lead.
Hannah Brown put her team on top midway through the first half with a pair of shots from downtown and added a pair of free tosses as the Lady Cougars surged into the lead. The Lady Patriots made a small run in the final seconds of the half as Cabage added four more of her 17 first half points to close the Cleveland State lead to only one point at the break, 24-23.
The Lady Patriots picked right up where they left off with a 13-2 run to start the second half and would never be seriously threatened the rest of the way. Cabage nailed a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play as the Cumberland lead ballooned to 10 points at 36-26.
A steal and layup by Brown at the 5:41 mark cut the Cumberland lead to five points, but that would be as close as the Lady Cougars would get as the visitors hit 7-11 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Lady Cougars had a difficult time finding the net all night long, shooting just 22 percent for the game including 2-32 from three-point land, while the Lady Patriots hit 43 percent of their shots.
Cabage led the way for the Lady Patriots with 30 points and 18 rebounds while Erin Sears added 11 points. Brown paced Cleveland State (3-6) with 10 points while Cash Champion finished with nine points before leaving the game with a knee injury.
The Lady Cougars will return to action after the holidays on Tuesday night to host Emmanuel College.
Overall Record 3-6
11/19/2011 Jackson State 53-66 Loss
The Lady Gernerals dictated the tempo in the first half as they started the game with a 13-5 run. Cleveland State could hardly buy a bucket in the early going while committing 15 turnovers. Cash Champion sparked a Lady Cougar run at the seven minute mark as the home team suddenly came to life and went on a 14-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 20-17. The teams traded buckets the rest of the half with the Lady Generals holding a 27-25 advantage at the break.
Brittany Ramsey sparked the Lady Cougars early in the second half with a 3-point play and another nice driving layup to cut the lead to only two points at 38-36, but from that point on it was all Jackson State as the visitors steadily widened the gap. Shayna Garret hit another of her patented turnaround hook shots in the paint to push the lead to 10 points as the Lady Generals cruised to the big win.
Garrett led the way for Jackson State (3-3, 2-2) with 17 points including 10 in the second half to go along with 11 boards, Rachel Savage added 13 points and Christy Steel finished with 11. Ramsey paced the Lady Cougars with 16 points while Champion added 15.
Overall Record 3-5
Conference Record 0-4
11/18/2011 Columbia State 61-70 Loss
The ladies game was more of a track meet than a basketball game as the undefeated Lady Chargers were running and gunning from the time they got off the bus until the final horn. The Lady Cougars managed to briefly take a lead in each half, but each time the Lady Chargers raced right back to the lead.
After trailing 9-2 early, the Lady Cougars used an 8-0 run to take the lead in the first half at 19-17. Kelva Atkins and Kaylah Gholson took turns racing down the court for layups as the visitors would hold a 33-27 halftime lead.
The Lady Cougars stayed right on the heels of the Columbia State team throughout the second half and briefly took the lead as Brittany Ramsey nailed back to back 3-pointers with just over seven minutes to go. But, the comeback would end there as the Lady Chargers finished the game with a 16-6 run to secure the win.
Ramsey had a big night to pace the Lady Cougars (3-5, 0-4) with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Robyn Anthony and Cash Champion added 11 and 10 points respectively. Atkins led all scorers with 23 points for Columbia State (5-0, 3-0) while Gholson just missed a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight steals.
Overall Record 3-4
Conference Record 0-3
11/15/2011 Northwest Georgia Technical College 81-34 Win
The Lady Cougars hit their guests with a 13-4 run to open the contest and never looked back. Shanavian Woodland knocked down the first five points of the game, Mercedes Smith took control of the paint and the offensive boards with eight big points off the bench and Robyn Anthony led the break as Cleveland State outran the Lady Bobcats for a 41-23 halftime advantage.
The Lady Cougars were relentless on the defensive end of the court in the first half causing 14 turnovers and holding Northwest to 33 percent shooting while winning the rebound battle, 37-16. It got better for the home team in the second half as they dominated the boards on both ends of the court out-rebounding the Lady Bobcats 64-33 for the game while holding them to 16 percent shooting and 25 percent for the game.
The 18 point lead grew steadily throughout the second half as Breonna Armstrong, Augusta Smith, Shea Nunn, Brittany Ramsey and Morgan Rogers all got into the scoring column to help the home team cruise to a lopsided win.
"We are going to have to play better defensively when we get into conference play this weekend," stated Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Our rebounding stats were impressive because we missed so many shots. We did hustle and play hard and we did do a better job in the second half. We need rebounds. Mercedes and Morgan Rogers got 10 apiece and that's what we've got to have every night."
Smith led the way with 12 points while Woodland and Rogers paced the Lady Cougars (3-3) with 11 points each. Cash Champion finished with 10. Mia Morrow led the Lady Bobcats (0-2) with 10 points and Boo McPherson added seven.
Overall Record 3-3
11/12/2011 @ Dyersburg State 74-85 Loss
The Lady Cougars seemed poised to get a split for themselves for the weekend as they opened up a 46-23 halftime lead on the Lady Eagles on Saturday. Jessica Harper had all 13 of her points in the first half for the Lady Cougars including a pair of three-pointers while Cash Champion added 10 points including six of six from the free throw line.
The second half was like another world had replaced the first 20 minutes of play as the Lady Cougars were helpless to stop the parade of Lady Eagles to the free throw line. After hitting just one of four free tosses in the first half, the Lady Eagles went to the line an unprecedented 44 times in the second half, hitting 37 times to turn a 23 point halftime deficit into an 11 point win. Cleveland State hit 26 of their 35 attempts for the game.
"We played well in the first half and everything was going well as we built a 23 point lead at halftime," explained Lady Cougar coach Dan Lumpkin. "Then they shot 44 free throws in the second half. It was one of the most unreal experiences that I've ever had. I don't know if I have ever seen anything like that. A 23 point halftime lead is not nearly enough when the other team shoots 44 free throws in the second half. We didn't change anything that we were doing in the second half, it was amazing."
Morgan Rogers paced the Lady Cougars with 19 points, Harper finished with 13 while Champion and Robyn Anthony added 11 points each. Jasmine Duke led the Eagles with 21 points, Sharonda Brabson added 15 and Jenique Jennings had 13.
Overall Record 2-3
Conference Record 0-2
11/11/2011 @ Southwest Tennessee 71-79 Loss
The Lady Cougars stayed within striking distance of the very athletic Lady Saluqis all game long on Friday night, but just couldn't quite catch them. The Southwest ladies sizzled the nets to the tune of 60 percent shooting in the first half as they would hold a 46-37 lead at halftime.
Cleveland State cut into the lead several times in the second half, slicing the advantage to only two points on a couple of ocassions, but were again, unable to jump on top. The Lady Saluquis converted 17 of 26 free throws in the second half and hit 30 of 47 for the game while the Lady Cougars hit just 21 of 34 for the game and shot only 35 percent from the floor in the contest.
"We had our chances against Southwest, but just couldn't get over the hump," Lumpkin said. "We would cut it to two, but couldn't hit the next shot. Southwest is a good, quick, agressive team and they played well."
Harper led the Lady Cougars (2-3, 0-2) with 13 points while Shanavian Woodland added 10 points and eight boards. Amber Dunlap led the Lady Saluqis with 22 points while Erica Ousley added 16.
Overall Record 2-2
Conference Record 0-1
11/8/2011 Snead State 77-44 Win
By BRYAN GRISHAM
CSCC Sports Information Director
The Cleveland State Lady Cougars got back to their winning ways on Tuesday night at L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with a lopsided win over the Snead State Lady Parsons. The Cleveland State (2-1) ladies started with the hot hand and kept it throughout the game as they coasted to victory and in the process handed Snead State (3-1) their first setback of the season.
Shanavian Woodland converted a pair of nice running layups in traffic as the Lady Cougars opened the women's contest with a 10-3 run and would never trail in the game. Robyn Anthony provided a spark off the Cleveland State bench with a pair of steals and layups as the lead grew steadily.
A driving layup by Jessica Harper and an offensive rebound and putback from Mercedes Smith helped the Lady Cougars finish the half on a 14-2 run. Harper put the finishing touches on the first 20 minutes of play with 3-pointer from the corner for a 39-20 lead at the break.
"We played our game tonight, unlike last Saturday at Chattahoochee," stated Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "We didn't have defensive pressure or the intensity that I wanted on Saturday and we did tonight. This is what I expect each and every night and I told them that. Jessica had a great game, she attacked the basket, hit all three of her three-pointers and took care of the ball. We need her to do that every night. That was the old Jessica and I was glad to see it."
Harper picked up right where she left off with another long shot from downtown to get the Lady Cougars started in the second half. Brittany Ramsey got in on the scoring fun midway through the second half with a nice hook shot, a layup in traffic and a 3-pointer for good measure as the lead ballooned to 30 points at 72-42. Chariah Gordon, Augusta Smith, Shea Nunn, Breonna Armstrong, Morgan Rogers and Hannah Brown all took turns making baskets down the stretch to finish off the runaway win.
The Lady Cougars turned up the defensive pressure holding the Lady Parsons to only 22 percent shooting in the first half and 25 percent for the game while shooting 50 percent in the second half and 44 percent for the game themselves. Cleveland State won the battle on the boards 51-36 and caused 22 turnovers while committing only 11.
"It was a good win over a good team," Lumpkin continued. "We played for 40 minutes, we didn't let up for the most part, we battled on the boards and that is what we need to do when we get into conference play."
Harper led the way for the Lady Cougars with 16 points, Ramsey added 13 points and eight rebounds and Anthony finished a good nights work with 13 points, five boards and five steals and Cash Champion added eight points. Destriny Ham and Alicia Poole paced the Lady Parsons with nine points each.
Overall Record 2-1
11/5/2011 @ Chattahoochee Tech 61-67 Loss
The Lady Cougars suffered their first loss of the young season as they suffered through a tough shooting night, trailing 35-29 at halftime. Cleveland State ladies stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, but could never quite get over the hump the rest of the way. Robyn Anthony paced Cleveland State with 10 points, Hannah Brown added nine while Breonna Armstrong and Jessica Harper chipped in with eight points apiece. Tequilla Vaughns led the Lady Eagles with 25 points while Tiayra Green added 14.
Overall Record 1-1
11/2/2011 @ Emmanuel College 57-48 Win
The Lady Cougars got their season off and running on the right foot one night earlier as they openend on the road with a trip to Franklin Springs, Georgia and Emmanuel College. The Lady Cougars got it done in crunch time to pull away in the end for win number one by a final count of 57-48.
After leading by 10 points at halftime (32-22), despite battling foul problems all night long, the Lady Cougars held off several second half runs by Emmanuel to hold on for the hard fought win. Neither team shot the ball particularly well as the Lady Cougars hit 38 percent of their shots for the game while holding Emmanuel to only 30 percent for the contest. Emmanuel hit 17 or 36 free tosses while the Lady Cougars knocked down 8 of 20 shots from the charity stripe.
Robyn Anthony was the only player on either team to get into double digits in the scoring column as she led Cleveland State with 10 points. Anthony, Cash Champion, Jessica Harper and Shanavian Woodland had three steals each as the visitors swiped the ball 21 times in the game. Woodland and Hannah Brown chipped in with nine points apiece for the Lady Cougars as Brown nailed three of her four shots from behind the three-point line. Chariah Gordon added six points while Champion and Morgan Rogers had five points each. Michelle Wynn and Labreshia Blackwell paced Emmanuel with nine points each.
"It was a tough physical game," commented Lady Cougars coach Dan Lumpkin. "They attempted more than twice as many free throws as we did and we were in foul trouble throughout the game.They had a big girl inside and we had no answer for her on the boards. It was close the whole way until the last minutes of the game when we got a couple of steals and quick baskets to pull away and hang on. It was a good game to get the season started."
Both teams will travel to Chattahoochee Tech near Atlanta on Saturday for a pair of games starting at 5:30.
Overall Record 1-0
