CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern took advantage of a late 6-0 run with less than four minutes left in the game to take advantage of a back-and-forth game in the Buccaneer Field House and Kelsie Ruff hit a pair of late free throws to help secure the Buccaneers' 67-63 win over UNC Asheville on Friday night.

CSU (6-5, 4-3 Big South) trailed 59-58 following a Nadiria Evans jumper in the paint at the 3:54 mark. Alyssia Faye put the Bucs back in the lead two possessions later with a layup and Sharita Godfrey followed with a breakaway layup off the defensive rebound to put the Bucs ahead by three. Makenna Winans followed with a turnaround jumper from the right block to give CSU the 64-59 lead with 1:45 remaining.

Evans stemmed the Bucs' tide with a pair of free throws with 1:07 remaining to pull UNC Asheville (4-6, 3-2 Big South) back within three points. Evans added a second set of free throws with 17 seconds remaining to cut the CSU lead down to 65-63.

Following a UNC Asheville miss, Faye pulled down the defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the court to Kelsie Ruff in the closing seconds. Following an Asheville foul, the senior guard calmly drained both free throw attempts to secure the Big South win.

Godfrey secured her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Fargo added 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the conference win. Alyssia Faye chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, while Kelsie Ruff was also in double-digits with 10 points and three assists.

Amaryah Corpening paced four Bulldogs in double-digits with a game-high 19 points, while Evans and Lani Woods added 14 points apiece in the loss. Kai Carter added 11 points and five rebounds.
 
First Quarter
CSU put together a nearly perfect first quarter as the Buccaneers shot 50.0% from the floor and jumped out to a double-digit lead over a dominant 10-minute stretch. Janaia Fargo opened the scoring with a three-pointer as the Buccaneers went on a 15-3 run over the first 7:01 of the game. CSU continued to hold the double-digit lead throughout the quarter as Sharita Godfrey connected on a jumper late in the half to put the Bucs ahead 17-5. Makenna Winans scored the final four points for the Bucs to give CSU the 21-9 lead at the quarter break.

Second Quarter
Amaryah Corpening and Lani Woods combined to hit five three-pointers and score 24 of UNC Asheville's 28 points in the quarter as the Bulldogs cut the Bucs' lead down to one heading into the half. CSU's lead hit 15 following Godfrey's opening three-pointer with 9:15 remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs responded with a 15-2 run capped by a Woods three-pointer at the 4:37 mark to pull Asheville back to within 26-24. Ruff hit a late left-handed layup to put CSU back ahead by four in the closing seconds, but Corpening drilled her second three-pointer of the quarter at the buzzer to put the margin at 38-37 at the break.

Third Quarter
Fargo put the Bucs on the board with a layup at the 8:45 mark setting the tone for a back-and-forth third quarter that featured a pair of lead changes and one tie. Asheville followed the Fargo layup with a 10-0 run highlighted by Carter and Corpening three-pointers to put the Bulldogs ahead 47-40 with 4:48 remaining. CSU responded with a nine-point stretch with Winans and Godfrey (twice) both hitting from behind the arc to retake the lead with 1:39 remaining. A late pair of Corpening free throws tied the game up at 39-39 heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Neither team was able to hold more than a one-possession lead throughout the first 5:43 with the lead swapping five times in the quarter. The Bucs swung the lead back to their advantage with 2:56 remaining following a Faye layup to give CSU the 60-59 edge. Godfrey followed up with a layup to stretch the Bucs' lead to three and Winans hit a short jumper setting stage for the final minute of the game. Winans and Ruff both hit free throws over the final 21 seconds of the contest to close out the CSU win.

CSU Key Players

• Sharita Godfrey – 13 points, 10 rebounds, 5-of-10 FG, 3-of-3 3PT, two assists
• Janaia Fargo – 13 points, 4-of-5 FG, 3-of-3 3PT, 2-of-2 FT, two points, two assists
• Alyssia Faye – 10 points, 4-of-10 FG, 2-of-2 FT, six rebounds, one assist, one steal
• Kelsie Ruff – 10 points, 4-of-4 FT, three assists, two rebounds
• Makenna Winans – Eight points, seven rebounds, 2-of-6 FG, 3-of-4 FT, two blocked shots
• Carmella Walker – Seven points, 3-of-6 FG, 1-of-1 FT
• Jamya Rogers – Six points, eight rebounds, one blocked shot

Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern shot 40.0% (24-of-60) from the floor, 36.8% (7-of-19) from the three-point line, and 92.3% (12-of-13) from the free throw line in the contest.
• UNC Asheville shot 37.3% (22-of-59) from the floor, 32.0% (8-of-25) from the three-point line, and 61.1% (11-of-18) from the free throw line in the game.
• The Bucs held the 43-36 rebounding edge in the game with Godfrey (10), Rogers (8), and Winans (7) pacing CSU in the contest.
• The Bucs outscored the Bulldogs 30-18 in points in the paint and 13-9 in points off turnovers.
• CSU held the 16-14 edge in bench scoring.

News & Notes

• Sharita Godfrey recorded the Bucs' first double-double of the season and the second of her collegiate career with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.
• Godfrey's 10-rebound game was her second double-digit effort of the season, while her 13 points marked her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
• Janaia Fargo posted her third double-digit scoring game of the season.
• Alyssia Faye recorded her fifth double-digit scoring game of the season.
• Kelsie Ruff recorded her first double-digit scoring game of the season and 11th of her collegiate career.
• Both Sharita Godfrey and Janaia Fargo went a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line in the contest.
• Godfrey has made at least one three-pointer in each of the Bucs' 11 games in the 2020-21 season.
• CSU has hit at least 40.0% of its field goals in each of the last four games.
• The Bucs recorded a season-best 92.3% (12-of-13) from the free throw line in the contest.
• The Bucs' 43 rebounds marked the team's second-highest total and highest since the season-opening 52 against Columbia International.
• CSU has won three consecutive regular season games against UNC Asheville after sweeping the series last season against the Bulldogs.
• The Bucs have also won three consecutive home games against the Bulldogs.

Up Next
Charleston Southern closes out the weekend series against UNC Asheville tomorrow afternoon inside the Buccaneer Field House. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Bulldogs is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.