CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Charleston Southern was unable to hold off a second half comeback by Western Carolina on Monday evening inside the Ramsey Center, despite Anicia Dotson's first career double-double as the Buccaneers fell to the Catamounts, 56-47.

Dotson led all players with a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, going 6-for-9 from the floor in the game and 2-for-3 from behind the arc to pace the Buccaneers as CSU held the 29-23 halftime lead over the Catamounts.

Western Carolina battled their way back into the game in the second half from the free throw line, connecting on 16 out of 22 attempts over the final 20 minutes in outscoring the Buccaneers 33-18 in pulling out the win.

Charleston Southern falls to 3-5 overall on the season with the loss, while Western Carolina improved to 6-3 with the win.

The Catamounts pulled ahead in the game, winning the battle of the boards with the 46-30 rebounding advantage, and Western Carolina held the 32-9 advantage in bench scoring. When the Buccaneers were able to get out on the break, CSU held the 10-2 edge in fast break points in the game.

Dotson's 16 points were a season-high for the CSU senior and she racked up 10 rebounds in the game over 29 minutes to pace the Buccaneers in the contest. Alyssa Mann was also in double-digits for the Bucs with 11 points in the game, converted several acrobatic layups to give Charleston Southern the first half advantage.

DJ Fowler continues her early season defensive highlights with four steals of the Buccaneers' 10 steals in the game, and added four assists to her totals to go with six points in the game.

Makensey Campbell led a balanced Western Carolina scoring effort in the game as 11 Catamounts reached the scoring column in the game. Campbell's nine points led all WCU players, while Lindsay Simpson and Alex Abraham had eight apiece in the Western victory. Rena Walker and Abraham had seven rebounds apiece to spark the Catamounts to the win on the boards.

Charleston Southern and Western Carolina battled evenly through the first four minutes of the half before a layup by Mann gave CSU the 7-5 lead with 16:07 remaining. A three-pointer by Fowler from the left wing pushed the Buccaneers lead to five points at 10-5 as CSU held the narrow lead early in the contest.

The Buccaneers led by as many as nine points in the first half, led by nine first half points by Dotson as the senior forward capped off a fast break with a layup to give CSU the 24-15 lead with 6:09 on the clock. Western responded with six straight points as Ali Lane, Kristen Lyon and Brianne Mack all scored baskets for the Catamounts, but Fowler drove in for a layup and Dotson drilled a trey from the top of the key to push the Bucs lead back out to 29-23 heading into the break.

Western Carolina took advantage of early Buccaneers' fouls in opening the second half on an 8-0 run to take their first lead since the 16:55 mark in the first half. Abraham connected on back-to-back free throws before Justin Taylor connected on a short jumper to give Western the 31-29 lead with 16:37 remaining in the game.

Rochelle Brophy answered with a jumper and Dotson followed with another short two-pointer to swing the lead back in favor of the Buccaneers with 14:22 to play as the teams settled in for tough second half. CSU again rebuilt their lead, going up two possessions on a Brophy layup with 11:03 remaining, giving the Bucs the 40-34 lead.

Western Carolina, however, steadily chipped away at the Charleston Southern lead, cutting the deficit down to two points with 5:28 remaining on a free throw by Lane. Campbell followed up three trips down the court later with the go-ahead three-pointer to put the Catamounts ahead 48-47 with 2:40 left in the game.

With the lead in their favor, the Catamounts turned to the charity stripe and their defense to close out the game, holding the Buccaneers scoreless over the final 5:49 in the contest, while WCU made eight of their final 12 free throw attempts to close out the 56-47 victory.

Charleston Southern returns home for their final game before the team breaks for the Christmas holidays as the Buccaneers welcome Savannah State to the Buc Dome on Thursday evening. Tipoff for the Bucs and Tigers matchup is set for 7 p.m.