CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern women's basketball dug itself a hole it could not completely get out of despite a furious second-half comeback attempt, dropping a 56-43 loss to Winthrop Tuesday evening inside the Buccaneer Fieldhouse.

THIRD-QUARTER FLIP
The Bucs came out of the locker room to begin the second half and seized control, outscoring the Eagles 21-5 in the period after holding a 56.3-to-20.0 field goal percentage edge. The 21 points were the most by either team in any quarter all night. The frame included a 17-1 Charleston Southern (2-22, 2-11 Big South) run through the opening 7:38, slicing the deficit to 10, 36-26, by the media timeout.

PRESSURE CONTINUED INTO FOURTH
The Buccaneers were not giving up entering the final stanza, tallying the opening-five points before Luka Malinka ended the Winthrop (5-19, 3-10 Big South) drought with a 3-pointer with 4:50 to go after the visitors' lead had dropped to only five, 40-35, before her momentum-changing long-range conversion. CSU would not get that close again down the stretch and the Eagles widened the margin back out behind 9-of-12 charity tosses after the final media timeout at the 4:29 mark.

BALTEZEGAR SHINES
Two-time Big South Freshman of the Week selection Skylar Baltezegar continued to be effective in her inaugural collegiate campaign, tallying her second career double-double – both in league play – with 12 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. She hit 6-of-13 field goals and used the defensive glass to collect a dozen of her caroms. It's her second-consecutive outing with 12 points and seventh double-figure scoring game of the season. She also equaled her career high with four blocked shots – both times against the Eagles, this season.

FARGO RECOVERS
Sophomore Janaia Fargo got back into her scoring rhythm with 12 points, her sixth double-figure performance in her last-seven games and 10th overall this year. She sank three 3-pointers, giving her multiple trifectas in each matchup during that span, on her way to sharing team-high scoring honors with Baltezegar.

GODFREY ADDS ON
Another scoring boost lately in the lineup has been senior Sharita Godfrey, who tallied 11 points as part of her second-in-a-row double-figure effort. She has reached the double-digit plateau five times in her final collegiate season, three of which have come against league opponents in the last-five games.

UP NEXT
The busy week on the hardwood continues for Charleston Southern as it plays host to High Point at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in a rescheduled contest from earlier this year on ESPN+. It will be Play BOLD night inside the Buc Dome. For more information on Play BOLD, click HERE or HERE.