Why not
e-mail us?

The Voice

Topping the News

Speaking Out

Blog

Spare Time

Athletics

Free Box

Morgue

e-mail

Faculty/Staff

Student

Resources

WebCT

Faculty/Staff directory

Search Engines

BLOSSOMS’ RALLY FALLS SHORT AGAINST SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

   Despite placing three players in double figures, the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms (7-8, 2-3 GSC) were unable to complete their late rally, falling 78-68 Jan. 19 at Steelman FIeldhouse.

   The Blossoms and Lady Muleriders traded leads several times in the opening minutes, with the Lady Muleriders breaking a 10-10 tie with a pair of free throws by KiKi Junior with 13:17 remaining, and SAU would carry the lead into the half. UAM pulled to within one (29-28) with 1:38 remaining on a pair of free throws by Katrina Dean (Sr., Conway, Ark.) but the Lady Muleriders were able to extend their lead to four by the end of the half.

   After the Lady Muleriders extended their lead to nine (40-31) with 18:01 left, the Blossoms responded with an 8-0 swing to pull to within one (40-39) on a layup by Wendy Young (Sr., Chapmans, St. Vincent). However, the Lady Muleriders pushed their lead ahead to four (40-39), beginning a stretch of three scoreless minutes.

   UAM’s scoring drought was longer, as Young hit a lay-up with 16:00 left, but the Blossoms were unable to tally a field goal until the 9:19 mark, when Theresa Tran (Sr., Mesquite, Texas) drained a three.

   SAU extended their lead to 16 (66-50) after a lay-up by Sharonda Davis, but the Blossoms narrowed the gap to seven (68-61) when UAM hit three-pointers on three consecutive trips down the court. However, UAM was outscored 10-4 down the stretch and the Lady Muleriders were able to escape with the victory.

   Dean led the Blossoms with 17 points, while Young added 15 and Tran added 13. Young led the Blossoms with seven boards.

   SAU’s Sharonda Davis led all scorers with 26 points, leading a cast of four Lady Muleriders scoring in double figures.

   The Cotton Blossoms return to action Monday, Jan. 23, as they travel to Conway to face Central Arkansas at 6 p.m.

BLOSSOMS’ UPSET BID FALLS SHORT AGAINST No. 18 DELTA STATE

CLEVELAND, MS - Despite a game-high 17 points from Tran, the Cotton Blossoms were unable to hold off the No. 18 Delta State Lady Statesmen (13-1, 2-1 GSC), falling 63-57 Jan. 12 at Walter Sillers Coliseum.

   The Blossoms and Lady Statesmen traded leads through the first half, as the Cotton Blossoms held a lead for the first seven minutes; however, the Lady Statesmen stayed close and surged ahead (10-9) at the 12:53 mark on a Jennifer Rushing jumper. The two teams swapped leads six times until just under the five minute mark, when UAM seized the lead, pushing ahead by six (28-22) after a Tran jumper with 3:09 remaining. The Blossoms led by two (30-28) at the half.

   Delta State took command in the first five minutes of the second half, retaking the lead and pushing ahead, extending their lead to as many as 10 (50-40) with 8:27 remaining. UAM was able to pull to within one twice in the last five minutes, but the Lady Statesmen held UAM at arm’s length as the clock wound down and Delta State claimed the victory.

   Tran’s 17 points led all scorers, while Young also scored 11 points. DSU held a 36-25 rebounding advantage, including a 13-5 advantage on the offensive glass, and a 30-16 advantage in free throws.

BLOSSOMS DISPATCH LADY BISONS

   Young, TeAundra Harden (Jr., Monticello, Ark.) and Shenai Limbrick (Jr., Houston, Texas) each scored 17 points as the Cotton Blossoms captured a 77-67 victory over the Harding Lady Bisons Jan. 9 at Steelman Fieldhouse.

   The two teams traded leads over the first 15 minutes, but the Blossoms pulled ahead (27-26) when Jenna Thomas (Sr., Shreveport, La.) converted a free throw to put the Blossoms ahead. UAM stretched their lead to seven at the half when Sherelle Shipp (Jr., Wilmar, Ark.) hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

   The Blossoms extended their lead to as many as 15 with 10:31 remaining, and kept the Lady Bisons at arm’s length the rest of the way as they cruised to the victory.

   Joining the trio of 17-point scorers in double figures was Shipp, who scored 10 points. Harding held a 50-32 rebounding advantage for the night, but committed 27 turnovers to UAM’s 12.

   Harding shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the second half.

BLOSSOMS FALL TO LADY REDDIES

ARKADELPHIA - Despite pulling to within two points late in the second half, the Cotton Blossoms were unable to hold off a late surge by the No. 8 Henderson State Lady Reddies, falling 69-57 Jan. 7 at the Duke Wells Center.

   Both teams were plagued by poor shooting, as they opened the game slowly, with Henderson State pushing ahead by five (14-9) with 12:51 remaining. UAM fought back, taking a one-point lead (15-14) on a three-pointer by Shipp.

   The Lady Reddies broke the tie and pushed ahead, with the Blossoms pulling to within (22-21) one on a Dean lay-up with 5:54 remaining. UAM would not score again in the first half.

   UAM shot just 21.9 percent from the floor in the first half while Henderson State shot just 27.3 percent, with the Blossoms committing 12 turnovers to HSU's 10.

   As the second half opened, Young hit a tip-in to score her 1,000th career point, ranking her 17th in school history.

   HSU was unable to pull away from the Blossoms, and UAM began to rally, capped by a Young layup to pull the Blossoms to within two (51-49).

   However, the Lady Reddies immediately took control, going on a 9-1 run to take an 11-point lead (61-50) with 3:54 left, and cruised the rest of the way.

   Young finished with a game-high 18 points, and was joined in double-figure scoring by Harden with 14 points and Dean with 10 points.

BLOSSOMS RALLY TO DOWN GOLDEN SUNS

   The Cotton Blossoms rallied from a 36-25 halftime deficit to capture a 62-59 victory over the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns in both teams’ Gulf South Conference opener Jan. 5 at Steelman Fieldhouse.

   The Blossoms fell behind early, as Arkansas Tech took a 17-9 lead with 12:12 remaining in the opening half. UAM rallied, reeling off eight unanswered points to tie the contest on a lay-up by Thomas and taking the lead on a subsequent free-throw.

   The lead would be short-lived, as the Suns surged ahead, extending their lead to 13 (35-22) on a Christy Mahan three-pointer, eventually going into the intermission ahead by 11 (36-25).

   The Blossoms took control over the first five minutes of the second half, rallying to within five (41-36) after a layup by Limbrick; but the Golden Suns kept the Blossoms at arm’s length over the next seven minutes, even pushing their lead back to as many as nine (47-38).

   UAM tied the game (50-50) after a Young free throw with 6:59 left, but yet again, the Golden Suns pushed ahead, taking a five-point lead (55-50) just one minute later.

   The Blossoms began their final rally, taking the lead (56-55) on a Young jumper with 3:38 remaining. UAM extended their lead to four (59-55) with 3:27 left, but the Suns pulled to within one (60-59) with 1:30 remaining.

   UAM scored the final point of the ballgame with 18 seconds left as Gemma Gibson (So., Dodd City, Texas) converted a free-throw to push the Blossoms’ lead to three. The Golden Suns had a chance to tie the ballgame with two seconds left, but an Abra Motley (Sr., Muskegon, Mich.) blocked shot and a Shipp steal sealed the Blossoms victory.

BLOSSOMS FALL TO WEST FLORIDA

   PENSACOLA, FL - Despite trailing at the half by just three points, the Cotton Blossoms were unable to keep up with the West Florida Argonauts offense in the second half, eventually falling 79-62 in the Dec. 30 finale of the UWF SurfBurger Holiday Classic.

   West Florida took charge early, racing out to a 16-point lead (23-7) with 12:16 remaining. The Blossoms would not go easily, however, as UAM put together a 19-3 run to tie the contest at 26-26 at the 6:31 mark. With just under two minutes left in the first half, Dean nailed a three-pointer to give UAM their first lead of the contest (33-32); but the Blossoms were unable to hold West Florida at bay as the half expired, and the Argonauts carried a 38-35 lead into the intermission.

   The Argonauts dominated in the second half, pushing ahead by as many as 23 (79-56) in the late running as West Florida cruised to the victory.

   Dean and Tran both scored 12 points to lead UAM, while Young also scored in double figures, adding 11 points. Thomas posted a team-high eight boards for the Blossoms.

   UWF held a 50-42 rebounding advantage, and shot 46.2 percent from the floor (30-of-65) while holding UAM to 32.9 percent (26-of-79).

COTTON BLOSSOMS DOWN TUSKEGEE

PENSACOLA, FL - Paced by a 22-point effort by Young, the Cotton Blossoms downed Tuskegee 77-55 in the Dec. 29 opener of the UWF SurfBurger Holiday Classic.

   UAM set the tempo early, opening the contest on a 10-2 run over the first 3:15 of the contest. Tuskegee narrowed the gap to two (16-14) with 9:20 remaining in the opening half, but the Cotton Blossoms came back strong, finishing the half on another 10-2 run to go into halftime ahead 35-22.

   The Cotton Blossoms maintained their momentum in the second half, surging ahead by as many as 27 as they rolled to the victory.

   Young's 22 points led all players, while Harden and Motley both added 12 points.

   No Tuskegee player scored over 10 points, while UAM held a 52-44 rebounding advantage. The Blossoms forced 21 turnovers while committing only 13.

BLOSSOMS HAND FIRST LOSS TO No. 20 FLORIDA GULF COAST

   FT. MYERS, FL - Led by a 14-point effort from Young and 13-point efforts from Thomas and Tran, the Cotton Blossoms handed No. 20 Florida Gulf Coast (12-1) their first loss of the season, winning 70-66 Dec. 21 at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.

   The two teams traded leads over the opening four minutes of the game, when Tran broke open an 8-8 tie with a three-pointer with 15:46 remaining in the opening half. UAM extended their lead to as many as 10 and led for the remainder of the opening period, carrying a 10-point lead (35-25) into the half.

   The Cotton Blossoms surged ahead in the second half, pushing ahead by as many as 17 (43-26) with 17:32 left; when the Eagles began a furious rally that pulled them to within three (67-64) with 32 seconds remaining. The Blossoms pushed ahead to five as Thomas converted a pair of free throws with 24 seconds remaining; and forced a turnover with 11 seconds left to seal their victory.

   Young led the Blossoms with seven rebounds, while FGCU's Alex Nelson tied Young with a game-high 14 points and Princess Stewart led the Eagles with seven rebounds, tying Young for the game's high mark.

   FGCU outrebounded the Cotton Blossoms 51-36, but the Blossoms were able to hold the Eagles to a 31.9 shooting percentage (22-of-69) from the floor.

BLOSSOMS FALL TO MISSOURI WESTERN

FORT MYERS, FL - The Cotton Blossoms were unable to contain the hot-shooting Missouri Western Griffons, falling 85-63 in the Dec. 21 opener of the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament.

   The Griffons shot 58.2 percent from the floor in the game.

   Missouri Western led from wire to wire, with UAM's last tie (5-5) coming after a Thomas layup with 18:15 remaining in the opening half. The Griffons would extend their lead to as many as seven (18-11) before the Cotton Blossoms could answer, pulling to within four; but from there on it was all Missouri Western, as the Griffons pushed their lead to as many as 17 before going into the half ahead 15 (42-27).

   The good fortune continued for the Griffons in the second half, as they pushed ahead by as many as 29 in the late running.

   UAM shot 29.6 percent from the floor for the game.

   Young led the Blossoms with 14 points. Dean posted a team-high eight rebounds. The Blossoms were dominated on the rebounding glass, as the Griffons held a 45-31 advantage.

BLOSSOMS FALL TO WEST ALABAMA

   The Cotton Blossoms were unable to contain West Alabama’s one-two punch of Emily Nalls and Ashton Washington, falling 80-75 to the Lady Tigers Dec. 10 at Steelman Fieldhouse.

   The Lady Tigers jumped ahead in the early going, taking a six-point (16-10) lead with 12:25 remaining in the opening half. UAM was able to close the gap with a 9-2 run, finally taking a lead (19-18) on a layup by Dean with 9:12 remaining. However, the Lady Tigers fought right back and pushed their lead back to as many as ten (37-27) with 24 seconds remaining, but Tran buried a three-pointer in the waning seconds to narrow the UAM deficit to three (37-30) at the half.

   The Lady Tigers dominated the inside in the first half, scoring 20 points in the paint to UAM’s 10, and 13 points off turnovers.

   UWA extended its lead to as many as eleven (46-35) in the opening minutes of the half, but UAM knotted the game at 50-50 on a Harden layup with 11:19 remaining. West Alabama would pull ahead again, and the Blossoms would get within one point twice more; but were unable to close the gap any further as the Lady Tigers sealed the victory.

   Tran led the Blossoms with 14 points, while Dean, Harden and Young all added 13 points. Jenna Thomas rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.

   Veronica Lee joined Nalls and Washington in double figures for the Lady Tigers with 13 points, while Washington posted a double-double, adding 14 points to her 16 boards.

Have a comment? Please e-mail us.