CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern is back in action for a Tuesday night Big South matchup as the Buccaneers host Presbyterian in the Buccaneer Field House. Tipoff for the Bucs and the Blue Hose is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
The game between CSU (3-15, 1-8 Big South) and PC (6-12, 2-7 Big South) marks the end of the first swing in conference play for Charleston Southern. The Big South plays a true round-robin schedule on the women's basketball side with all teams scheduled to make return trips to their opponents over the final five weeks of the regular season.
CSU is looking to get back on track after a three-game skid falling to Hampton, Campbell, and Winthrop over the last two weeks. The Bucs have made major strides since the turn of the calendar with CSU's youthful roster fighting through each of the last five games in close affairs.
The Bucs are coming off one of their toughest games to date this past Saturday as CSU fell to Winthrop in a back-and-forth affair against the Eagles, 58-53.
Sharita Godfrey scored 14 of her team-leading 16 points in the third quarter as the Buccaneers fought their way back into the contest.
The Bucs cut the margin down to three-points at the third quarter break, before
Kelsie Ruff drained a three-pointer on CSU's opening possession to tie the game up at 41-41. Godfrey and
Ahlea Myers followed up with back-to-back jumpers to keep the Bucs in the lead with 7:49 remaining as the Bucs clung to the narrow two-point margin early in the frame. Winthrop rallied back with a four-point swing by Anika Riley to retake the lead with 6:48 remaining in the contest.
Destinee Jamison-Whitfield followed up two possessions later with a driving layup to extend the Winthrop lead to 49-46 just prior to the media timeout. The Bucs had two chances to retake the lead the rest of the way as Myers drilled a three-pointer (3:09 remaining) and
Carmella Walker converted a layup (1:58 remaining) to cut the deficit down to one point.
Winthrop went 4-of-6 from the free throw line the rest of the way with a late basket by Myers providing the final margin in the CSU loss.
Godfrey's 16-point, 11-rebound performance against the Eagles resulted in the sophomore wing's first collegiate double-double. It also marked the Bucs' fifth double-double of the season as
Tierra Steede (2),
Asia Smith (1), and
Carmella Walker (1) also have achieved double-digit points and rebounds in a game this season.
For the season, the Columbia, S.C. native currently sits third overall on the team with 10.2 points per game and adds 5.9 rebounds per contest to her totals. She is also the team's leading outside threat with 19 three-pointers on the year, including six over her last three games.
Tierra Steede continues to pace the Bucs' scoring and rebounding efforts on the season as the senior forward enters the week averaging 11.2 points and 6.7 boards per game. She posted back-to-back double-digit rebounding efforts against Hampton and Campbell and has blocked at least two shots in the last three games.
Carmella Walker saw her five-game double-digit scoring streak end this past Saturday with six points against Winthrop, but the junior guard continues to sit among the CSU scoring leaders on the year. The New Smyrna Beach, Fla. native is averaging 11.0 points per game, while adding a team-high 37 steals on the year. She is also second on the team with a 44.0% shooting percentage.
The Blue Hose are coming off a 55-42 win over USC Upstate this past Saturday as PC picked up their first conference home win of the season. PC's Kacie Hall eclipsed 1,000 career points with a fourth quarter three that sparked a 16-7 run and pushed the Presbyterian College women's basketball team past  the Spartans. Freshman Tionna Carter recorded her first collegiate double-double with a game-high 15 points and 14 rebounds.
PC's other Big South win came two weeks ago at Gardner-Webb as the Blue Hose picked up the road win over the Runnin' Bulldogs. The Blue Hose used a 7-0 run over the final 3:30 to pick up the victory over GWU. Other key wins for PC include S.C. State and CofC back in non-conference play.
Trinity Johnson paces the team with 14.1 points per game on 41.8% shooting. She also leads the Blue Hose with 48 steals on the season. Jade Compton paces the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, while Hall is the outside threat with 24 three-pointers.
The Bucs' loss to Winthrop put CSU with a 1-8 record in conference play nearing the halfway point of the conference season. CSU does have a key win over UNC Asheville that could play a role in tiebreaker scenarios in the future.
Up Next
CSU hits the road and begins their second trip through conference play this Saturday as the Buccaneers make the trip to Boiling Springs, N.C. and Paul Porter Arena for a 2 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+.
