Box Score ROCK HILL, S.C. - Charleston Southern led from start to finish on Saturday afternoon as the Buccaneers topped Winthrop for the second time in the 2015-16 season on the road, 58-50.
Rachel Burns led the Bucs (10-10, 5-6) with 19 points, 16 of which came in the first half as the Bucs' swept the season series over the Eagles for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Alyssa Mann added 15 points with 11 coming in the second half to seal the CSU win.
The Buccaneers jumped out of the gates and seized control of the contest early. All five CSU starters had scored by the media timeout with junior forward Elyse Kiploks driving in for the layup to give the Bucs the 14-4 lead with 4:15 left in the first quarter. The Bucs lead reached 16 following a three-pointer and a layup from Alecia Hardy with 1:02 left in the period as CSU went up 23-7 after the first.
CSU continued to hold a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter, going up by as many as 17 on Monique Maximilien's free throw at the 9:43 mark. Winthrop rallied back behind Erica Williams and CiiCii Buford with the duo both connecting on three-pointers late to pull the Eagles back within nine at 31-22 with 1:20 left in the first half. Burns answered with a three-pointer for the Bucs however to give CSU the 34-24 advantage at the break.
Both sides traded baskets throughout the third quarter with CSU going up 10 points at 41-31 following a Burns' layup at the 5:37 mark. Winthrop answered with four points to pull the game back within six following a Naima Jackson jumper, but Mann followed with a jumper just before the end of the third quarter to give CSU the 43-35 lead heading into the fourth.
The Eagles brought the game all the way back to within three points following a Ronata Rogers jumper in the paint with 8:11 to go, but CSU answered with a 7-0 run sparked by five straight points from Mann to put the game out of reach for the Eagles. The Bucs closed out the game from the free throw line with Burns, Kiploks and Ke'Asia Jackson all converting from the stripe to record the win.
Kiploks finished the game with nine rebounds and four blocked shots from the Bucs, while Jackson added nine points and five rebounds from the floor. Maximilien rounded out the CSU starting five with seven points and six rebounds in the win.
Winthrop was paced by Rogers' double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Erica Williams led all scorers with 21 points in the loss.
Charleston Southern faces a quick turnaround as the Buccaneers return home to the Buc Dome to host Liberty on Monday night. Tipoff on the Big South Network is set for 7 p.m.