CHARLESTON, S.C. - Big South Women's Basketball Game. PopSocket Giveaway.
Charleston Southern women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon in the Buccaneer Field House will have both as the Buccaneers welcome Hampton University for a key early conference showdown. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Pirates is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
PopSocket Giveaway: CSU "Bucky" PopSockets will be given out to fans at the Marketing table at Saturday's game while supplies last.
The Bucs (3-12, 1-5 Big South) are riding high following their 60-48 win over UNC Asheville this past Tuesday night as Charleston Southern topped the host Bulldogs inside Kimmel Arena. CSU utilized a strong defensive effort, as well as clutch scoring down the stretch by
Sharita Godfrey and
Tierra Steede on their way to picking up the Bucs' first conference win of the season.
Hampton (9-7, 5-2 Big South) are also on a hot-streak since the calendar flipped to 2020. The Pirates have picked up five conference wins with victories over UNC Asheville, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, Radford, and USC Upstate. Hampton was picked second in the Big South's preseason poll with three first-place votes and 104 points overall with senior guard Ashley Bates earning preseason Player of the Year recognition.
The Bucs are hoping to build off the momentum gained on Tuesday night as they return to the Field House on Saturday afternoon. CSU outscored the Bulldogs 21-9 over the final 10 minutes of the contest and limited Asheville to just a 17.6% shooting percentage in picking up the conference win.
Overall, CSU put together one of their best defensive performances in the
Fred Applin coaching era as the Bucs held the Bulldogs to just a 20.0% conversion rate from the floor, and an equal percentage from behind the three-point line. The mark was just shy of the 17.9% field goal percentage CSU held Trinity Baptist to back in 2014.
Godfrey led three Bucs in double-digits in the win with 13 points and continued to show off her rebounding prowess with eight boards.
Carmella Walker put together her first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Steede had 12 points and five boards in the win.
The defensive trend has been key to one of Applin's philosophies since taking over the program back in the summer of 2012. The eighth-year head coach has consistently preached defense and rebounding to his team, and although the Bulldogs won the battle on the boards (54-39), the Bucs held the edge in points in the paint and points off turnovers.
No players have lived up to Applin's creed more than junior guard Walker and sophomore wing Godfrey in the 2019-20 season.
Walker is averaging 11.1 points per game, while sitting third in the conference with 2.3 steals per game. She is also sitting third in the Big South in free throw percentage at 80.9%, making 33 of her last 38 attempts (86.8%) over her last eight games.
Godfrey has been hitting the glass for the Bucs sitting second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game, while adding 10.1 points per contest on the year. The Columbia, S.C. native has posted 10 games with at least six rebounds on the season and sits 12th in the conference in rebounds per game.
Steede completes the CSU trio averaging double-digits scoring per game as the senior forward boasts a team-high 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while adding nine blocked shots. She's posted four double-digit scoring efforts.
Hampton has faced one of the more difficult schedules in the Big South this season as the Pirates opened up the season with a 64-61 win over Power 5 Alabama, while also topping Chattanooga on the road, 84-55.
The Pirates boast a potent 1-2 punch in the backcourt in preseason All-Conference selections Bates and Laren VanArsdale. Hampton was one of two teams in the conference to put multiple players on the preseason All-Conference squad with Campbell joining the Pirates behind the efforts of Shy Tuelle and Hayley Barber.
The Hampton duo have lived up to the preseason billing with the pairing leading four players averaging double-digits scoring on the season.
VanArsdale paces the Pirates with 15.0 points per game, while sitting among the team leaders with 18 there-pointers and a 74.0% free throw percentage. Bates is close behind her teammate with 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while also pacing Hampton with 56 steals overall.
MaKayla Timmons is averaging 10.5 points per game while leading the team with 67 assists on the year. Nylah Young is the fourth player averaging double-digits with 10.3 points per game to go with a team-high 12 blocked shots.
Other statistical leaders for the Pirates include Charlisa Jenkins (52.3% shooting percentage, 7.0 rebounds per game).
The all-time series between the Bucs and Pirates is a short one as the teams restarted their rivalry last season in Hampton's first full-year as members of the Big South Conference. The first matchup between the two programs came back in 1996 when CSU topped the Pirates, 83-82, in the Field House.
Last season, the away team was victorious in both games as Hampton took the 74-66 win over the Bucs on January 5. CSU returned the favor on February 16 inside the Hampton University Convocation Center with a 72-57 win.
CSU and Hampton will close out the season series on February 29 as the Buccaneers make the return trip to Hampton, Va.
Up Next
CSU is back on the road and heading to Gore Arena on Tuesday, January 21, for a midweek conference matchup at Campbell University. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Camels is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
