CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Southern women's basketball team dropped their second-straight game on Saturday, as they fell to the High Point Panthers 71-55. The Panthers (10-12, 8-4 in conference) out-scored the Bucs (4-19, 2-10 in conference) 25-14 in the first quarter and held steady for rest of the game.
Sha"Mya Leigh led all scorers for the Bucs with 20 points and played all 40 minutes for the sixth time this season. No other Bucs scored in double digits on the afternoon.
Saniya Jones had seven rebounds and a block as well as eight points.
Catherine Alben also had eight points and seven rebounds.
The Bucs turned the ball over a season-low 13 times this afternoon while forcing 13 turnovers on defense.
Tori Gittens led CSU with three steals, while Alben,
Zaire Hicks and
Madison Adamson each forced a turnover as well. Overall, High Point shot 50.9% from the field.
First Half
After the Bucs jumped out to a 6-2 lead, the Panthers got hot from the field. They finished the first quarter 10/14 from the field and 4/8 from beyond the arc. The Panthers went on a 10-0 run to take a 12-6 lead and forcing a CSU timeout. Then, they went on a 13-0 run later in the half to take a 24-11 lead before Leigh knocked down a half court shot at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 25-14.
In the second quarter, things were close for the first five minutes, but the Panthers expanded their lead to as high 18, when they knocked down a layup with 1:13 left to take a 37-19 lead. The Bucs answered with a three pointer by
Carleigh Andrews as time expired, as the Bucs trailed by 15 at halftime.
Second Half
The Panthers started the half on a run and pushed their lead to 20 with a pair of free throws with 8:15 left in the third quarter. Then, the Bucs came storming back. They went on a 20-8 run to cut the deficit to eight. It was capped off with a three pointer by Leigh, who was 4/6 from beyond the arc this afternoon.
High Point followed that with a quick run of their own, scoring the next 11 points to push the lead back to 19 with 7:26 left in the game. The closest the Bucs were able to trim the deficit was at the end of the game, when Gittens knocked down a three point basket to make it 71-55.
Next Up
The Bucs will stay home this Wednesday, as they play host to the Campbell Fighting Camels at 6 p.m. inside the Buc Dome. This will be the second matchup between the two teams this season.
