ROCK HILL, S.C. - Charleston Southern's last-minute comeback fell short at Winthrop on Saturday afternoon as the Buccaneers were unable to overcome a double-digit Eagles lead in falling in the series finale, 53-48.
 
Sharita Godfrey sparked a furious CSU (6-10, 4-8 Big South) comeback over the final 30 seconds of the contest as the Buccaneers cut a double-digit deficit down to a two-possession game thanks to a 7-0 run over a 17-second stretch. Godfrey connected on a jumper in the paint at the 29-second mark to start the stretch and added a three-pointer eight seconds later to narrow the Winthrop (5-10, 4-8 Big South) lead down to 51-44.
 
The Bucs took advantage of a Winthrop turnover on the ensuing possession and Sha'Mya Leigh found an open Alyssia Faye for a layup with 12 seconds remaining to make it a five-point game. CSU fouled the Eagles on three consecutive inbounds plays to keep the hope alive, but Myra Strickland made a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to stretch the WU lead back to 53-46 and clinch the win. Leigh hit a layup at the buzzer for the Bucs to provide the final scoring margin.
 
Godfrey paced the Bucs with 14 points as the junior guard hit a pair of three-pointers and added five rebounds in the loss. Faye and Jamya Rogers both added eight points apiece, while Leigh chipped in six points, six rebounds, and three steals.
 
Strickland led the Eagles with 18 points and was 4-of-8 from the three-point line in helping Winthrop secure the series sweep. Tori Hall chipped in 13 points off the bench.
 
First Quarter
Winthrop jumped out to the early 7-2 lead behind Strickland's early hot hand. The Bucs rallied their way back as Leigh and Rogers both connected on short jumpers to narrow the WU lead down to 9-7 with 5:47 remaining in the quarter. The score was tied up at 11-11 following Godfrey's pair of free throws at the 1:45 mark, before Winthrop went on a 5-0 run late thanks to a Hall three-pointer and an Anika Riley jumper to take the 16-11 lead at the break.
 
Second Quarter
The WU lead reached 19-11 on a Hall three-pointer at the 8:59 mark in the second quarter before Rogers went back to work in the post for the Bucs. Her layup at the 7:08 mark ended the Winthrop 7-0 run, while Janaia Fargo chipped in a layup off a long defense rebound to cut the margin down to 19-15 with 3:14 to play in the half. The Eagles led 25-17 following an Antoaneta Alexe three-point play with 2:46 to play before CSU's Gittens responded with a personal 5-0 run to close out the half with CSU trailing 25-22.
 
Third Quarter
Strickland (twice) and Hall combined to hit a trio of three-pointers over a 53-second stretch to give Winthrop the 36-26 lead with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter. Leigh ended the WU run with a rebound and put-back at the 4:39 mark, but the Eagles continued to put the pressure on the Bucs throughout the quarter with Hall's jumper at the 17-second mark giving Winthrop the 41-30 lead heading into the fourth frame.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Winthrop lead reached 47-30 with 7:41 to play in the contest as J'Mani Ingram, Riley, and Hall all recorded baskets to open the quarter on a 6-0 run. Godfrey ended the Winthrop run with her first three-pointer of the quarter as the Bucs steadily whittled the Eagles lead down to 10 with 4:20 remaining. Sierra Hunter's layup at the 1:23 mark gave Winthrop the 51-39 lead and set the stage for CSU's last-second comeback attempt.
 
CSU Key Players

• Sharita Godfrey – 14 points, 4-of-9 FG, 2-of-5 3PT, 4-of-4 FT, five rebounds
• Alyssia Faye – Eight points, five rebounds, two steals
• Jamya Rogers – Eight points, 4-of-4 FT, four rebounds, one blocked shot
• Sha'Mya Leigh – Six points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals
• Tori Gittens – Five points, 2-of-4 FG, one rebound, one blocked shot, one steal 

Inside the Numbers

• Charleston Southern shot 35.4% (17-of-48) from the floor, 25.0% (3-of-12) from the three-point line, and 78.6% (11-of-14) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Winthrop shot 39.6% (21-of-53) from the floor, 38.9% (7-of-18) from the three-point line, and 80.0% (4-of-5) from the free throw line in the loss.
• The Buccaneers outscored the Eagles 24-16 in the paint and were aided by 11 offensive rebounds in the contest to hold the 14-6 scoring advantage in second-chance points.
• The Eagles outscored CSU 22-16 in points off turnovers.
• Winthrop narrowly held off the Bucs with the 25-24 scoring margin off the bench.

News & Notes

• Saturday's contest marked Sharita Godfrey's 10th time scoring double-digits in the 2020-21 season and 21st of her career with the Bucs.
• The Bucs' 11 offensive rebounds marked just the third time CSU has reached double-digits in the category as a team this season.
• Sha'Mya Leigh's three-steal game was her team-leading fourth of the season and fifth of her collegiate career.
• The Bucs fell to 34-51 all-time in the series against Winthrop.
• The Bucs' pair of losses were CSU's first conference road losses of the 2020-21 season as CSU previous swept Hampton back on December 21-22, 2020, to open Big South play. 

Up Next
Charleston Southern is projected to host High Point on February 5-6 inside the Buccaneer Field House in their final home stand of the 2020-21 season. Tipoff in Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will cap a tripleheader inside the Buc Dome that will feature home competitions for CSU's volleyball (vs. UNC Asheville), men's basketball (vs. Longwood), and women's basketball (vs. High Point). Saturday's contest will be Senior Day with tipoff set for 6 p.m.