Furman Women's Basketball Vs Charlotte 49'ers Highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sarah Durdaller converted a 3-point play with a little over a minute remaining to cap a late surge and lift Furman to a 76-75 win over Charlotte in women's basketball action Sunday afternoon at Halton Arena.

Furman trailed 74-70 with just under three minutes left but cut it to 74-73 with a Brigid Morrissey 3-pointer.  Following a pair of missed shots by the 49ers, Durdaller put the Paladins ahead, 75-74, with a driving layup and completed the three-point play with a free throw for a 76-74 advantage.

Later, after a Charlotte missed shot and Furman turnover, the 49ers' Ny Hammonds drained one of two free throws with 17 seconds on the clock to pull Charlotte to within a point.  A missed Paladin free throw gave Charlotte one final chance, but Furman's Brittany Hodges rejected Hammonds' game winning shot attempt with three seconds left and claimed the rebound to preserve the win.

Holli Wilkins led Furman (7-6) with 19 points, headlining a strong 50.8 percent shooting performance by the Paladins, who found the mark on 30-of-59 attempts from the field, including 8-of-15 from 3-point range (53.3 percent). Hodges followed with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks, and Whitney Bunn contributed a season high 13 points on the strength of 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Brigid Morrissey rounded out the Paladins' double figure scoring parade with a superb performance that included 11 points and career high 12 assists — one shy of the school standard.  The Paladin senior, who drained 2-of-3 treys, also tacked on three rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

Hammonds led all scorers with a game high 25 points, and Gabby Tyler claimed a game high 14 rebounds to along with 12 points for the 49ers.

Charlotte converted 29-of-66 shots from the field (43.9 percent) but struggled at the free throw line, making just 12-of-23 attempts (52.2 percent), well below their 74.0 percent season rate entering the game.  The 49ers forged a 43-34 rebounding advantage, much of which came in the game's first few minutes when a flurry of offensive boards helped Charlotte grab a 12-4 lead seven minutes into the contest.

Furman rallied with a 12-0 burst to go up 16-12 following at Morrissey 3-pointer midway through the first half, and the Paladins finished the opening frame on a strong note with a pair of Bunn 3-pointers in the final minute to take a 36-35 lead into intermission.

The Paladins twice led by seven points before a Hillary Sigmon 3-pointer tied it at 50-50 six minutes into the second half.

A Bunn 3-pointer at the 8:30 mark gave the Paladins a 64-60 advantage, but the 49ers responded with a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to go up 72-68 on a Hammonds jumper.

Hammonds' two free throws with 2:43 left staked Charlotte to a 74-70 lead before Morrissey burned the net with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to make it a one-point game and set up Durdaller's game deciding 3-point play with 1:25 remaining.

Furman opens a three-game Southern Conference road stretch on Saturday when it entertains Appalachian State at Timmons Arena in a 1:00 p.m. game.