CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern was unable to keep pace with High Point's three-point shooting on Friday night in the Buccaneer Field House as CSU fell to the visiting Panthers, 88-65.

The Panthers (13-5, 11-2 Big South) connected on 12-of-30 from behind the arc on their way to building a 49-25 halftime lead. The Buccaneers (6-11, 4-9 Big South) steadily attempted to chip away at the deficit throughout the second half, but their comeback attempt fell short in the Big South loss.

Alyssia Faye posted her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bucs in the contest. Tori Gittens and Janaia Fargo both connected on three three-pointers to pace CSU's efforts behind the arc in the loss.

Claire Wyatt paced all scorers with 18 points as High Point had four players in double-digits in the Big South win. Jenson Edwards and Skyler Curran added 17 points apiece with Curran adding 13 rebounds in recording her double-double. Cydney Johnson added 15 points and five rebounds, while Jordan Edwards contributed 10 assists to pace the Panthers' attack.
 
First Quarter
High Point scored the first eight points of the contest and 20 of the first 22 on their way to building the early 18-point lead. The Panthers hit six three-pointers over the opening 10 minutes with Claire Wyatt connecting on three of them to give High Point the 20-2 lead with 3:20 to play in the quarter. Carmella Walker and Tyra Wright chipped in last points for the Bucs to send the teams into the quarter break with CSU trailing 22-6.

Second Quarter
Tori Gittens connected on an open three-pointer to start the second quarter to put the Bucs on the board, but the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run to take the 29-9 advantage at the 8:02 mark following a Jenson Edwards' steal and layup. High Point continued to press in the second quarter with the Panthers connecting on 6-of-11 three-pointers in the quarter on their way to the 49-25 halftime lead.

Third Quarter
Janaia Fargo drilled a three-pointer to open the scoring in the second half and Makenna Winans added a jumper in the paint as the Bucs cut the gap down to 51-30 at the 8:03 mark. High Point's lead reached 59-32 with 5:02 remaining following a Curran three-pointer. The Bucs battled back late in the quarter as CSU scored the final six points of the frame. Walker converted a three-point play, Faye knocked down a free throw, and Sha'Mya Leigh hit a layup to narrow the gap to 68-49 heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter
The Bucs narrowed the gap down to 16 points at the 7:23 mark following Gittens' third three-pointer of the game as CSU cut the High Point lead to 73-57. It was as close as CSU was able to come the rest of the way as the Panthers closed out the 88-65 win.

CSU Key Players

• Alyssia Faye – 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6-of-17 FG, three assists
• Tori Gittens – Nine points, 3-of-6 3PT, one rebound, one assist
• Janaia Fargo – Nine points, 3-of-4 3PT, three rebounds, one steal
• Makenna Winans – Seven points, five rebounds, two blocked shots
• Carmella Walker – Seven points, 2-of-3 FG, 3-of-3 FT, two rebounds
• Sharita Godfrey – Six points, seven rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot

 Inside the Numbers

• Charleston Southern shot 37.9% (25-of-66) from the floor, 37.5% (6-of-16) from the three-point line, and 50.0% (9-of-18) from the free throw line in the loss.
• High Point shot 43.1% (31-of-72) from the floor, 39.0% (16-of-41) from the three-point line, and 83.3% (10-of-12) from the free throw line in the win.
• High Point held the 21-6 edge in points off turnovers and a 15-0 advantage in fast-break points.
• The Bucs held the 34-26 scoring edge in points in the paint.
• CSU also held the 25-19 advantage on scoring off the bench.
• The Panthers held the 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.

News & Notes

• Alyssia Faye recorded her first double-double of the season and the Bucs' second of the year joining Sharita Godfrey (13 points-10 rebounds vs. UNC Asheville, Jan. 15, 2021) on the season.
• The contest marked Faye's eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season.
• Janaia Fargo's three three-pointers marked her first contest of the season with the mark.
• Tori Gittens connected on three three-pointers for second time this season and fourth of her collegiate career.
• CSU's 45 team rebounds marked the program's second-highest mark on the season.
• All 10 Buccaneer players who saw the court scored and pulled down at least one rebound in the contest.

Up Next
Charleston Southern and High Point close out the series tomorrow night in the Buccaneer Field House with tipoff set for 6 p.m. The Bucs will recognize 2020-21 seniors Carmella Walker, Kelsie Ruff, and Anna Webster prior to tipoff.