ROCK HILL, S.C. - A close game throughout, the Charleston Southern women's basketball team couldn't finish off the Winthrop Eagles and fell to their instate rivals 81-75 in overtime on Friday evening at the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill.

The loss drops the Buccaneers into the fifth spot in the conference standings at 9-8 (16-12 overall) with one regular season game remaining. Winthrop is currently third behind Liberty and High Point.

Lakeitha Alston edged closer to her 1000th career point, leading the Bucs with 20 points. She shot 75 percent from the field, going 8-for-12 with pair of shots from downtown and also recorded two blocks. Anicia Dotson became the fourth Buccaneer to record a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Dotson sunk a team-high six free-throws off eight attempts and also registered two blocks on the evening.

In her 16th consecutive game in double figures, Rachelle Coward notched 19 points and five rebounds, sinking four 3-pointers along the way. Erin Bratcher's 15 points came solely from beyond the arc ash she went 5-for-10 from downtown and 5-for-11 overall.

Kiki Rutledge dished out a team-high six assists and added in eight rebounds as well. The Buccaneers shot 58.3 percent on 3-pointers in the second half, sinking seven. They ended the game shooting 35.7 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Eagles put up similar numbers, shooting 36.6 percent overall and 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. Dequesha McClanahan's 33 points paced the Eagles' offense, while Diana Choibekova recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Samiya Wright hit six 3-pointers on her way to 26 points.

A seven-point CSU lead with just under 15 to go in the first half broke what had been a neck-and-neck game, but the Eagles fought back to take a slim advantage soon after. It would remain a one possession game til the end of the half when McClanahan put up a layup to give Winthrop the 39-34 lead going into the locker room.

In the second half it was the Eagles who built the lead up to eight in the opening minutes, only to have the Bucs whittle away at the advantage with a pair of treys from Bratcher and Alston. The Eagles sunk a few 3-pointers of their own to stay ahead by five with five to play in regulation, but Coward nailed her signature shot to tie things up at 67-67 with 2:54 remaining.

Wright and Coward would again trade shots from downtown, with Coward hitting a trey at the 40-second mark to tie things up and send the game into overtime.

A quick three by Bratcher gave the Bucs their only lead of the extra period, as the Eagles would go on a 7-0 run soon after. The Bucs would not score again until there were just 15 seconds left in overtime, and two points in the paint from Alston weren't enough to close the gap as Winthrop took the hard-fought 81-75 victory.

The Buccaneers will head to Clinton, S.C., to wrap up the regular season with the second half of a home-and-home series with Presbyterian. The Blue Hose will host the Bucs in a 7 p.m. match up.