CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern took advantage of Carmella Walker's strong second quarter and solid shooting throughout the contest as the Buccaneers defeated Western Carolina in nonconference action on Sunday afternoon inside the Buccaneer Field House, 66-56.

Walker scored nine of her team-high 14 points in the second quarter as the senior guard went 2-of-3 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the line during the stretch in pacing the Bucs (2-2) to a nine-point halftime lead over the Catamounts. Overall, the Bucs went 20-of-27 from the free throw line in the contest and shot 50.0% from the field on their way to holding on to the double-digit win over WCU (1-4).

Walker (14), Janaia Fargo (13), and Sha'Mya Leigh (11) all scored in double figures for the game as the Buccaneers led by as many as 11 in recording their second win in the all-time series against the Catamounts. Alyssia Faye added six rebounds and eight points, while Sharita Godfrey chipped in nine points and her fourth block of the season in the win.

Zanoria Cruz paced all scorers with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting to lead the Catamounts. Andrea Martin Ruiz was also in double-digits with 11 points in the loss.

First Quarter
Charleston Southern took control of the first quarter early as the Buccaneers took an 11-5 lead following a Janaia Fargo three-pointer from the right wing at the 5:39 mark. The Bucs' lead reached nine points at 16-7 following Kelsie Ruff's layup following a WCU turnover, before the Catamounts defense took over the rest of the quarter. WCU closed out the frame on a 9-0 run aided by three CSU turnovers as Nadia Marshall's layup with 35 seconds remaining tied the game up at 16-16 at the break.

Second Quarter
Fargo connected on her second three-pointer of the contest to open CSU's scoring in the second quarter as the Bucs took the 19-16 lead at the 8:34 mark. Sha'Mya Leigh added a pair of short jumpers as the Buccaneers held the Catamounts scoreless over the first 6:25 of the second quarter on their way to building a 23-16 edge. Walker scored all nine of her points in the frame over the ensuing three minutes and Jamya Rogers added a late jumper as the Bucs went into the half leading 34-25.

Third Quarter
Western Carolina kept the contest within striking distance throughout the third quarter as the Catamounts cut the Bucs' lead down to three points with 2:25 remaining in the quarter. Martin Ruiz's jumper off a CSU turnover cut the lead down to 41-38, but Tori Gittens followed with her first three-pointer of the contest to swing the momentum back to the Bucs. Leigh added a late free throw as the Bucs held the 45-40 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Fourth Quarter
The Bucs were 9-of-13 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter with Fargo (5-of-6) and Rogers (4-of-4) pacing CSU from the stripe. WCU cut the Bucs' lead down to one point at the 4:19 mark as Cruz converted a pair of free throws to narrow the gap to 53-52. CSU responded with a decisive 8-0 run over the next two minutes with Alyssia Faye scoring twice in the stretch to put the Bucs back ahead 61-52 with 2:24 remaining. Fargo went 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch to help CSU secure their second win of the season.
 
CSU Key Players

• Carmella Walker – 14 points, 3-of-4 shooting, 8-of-10 FT, five rebounds, two assists
• Janaia Fargo – 13 points, 2-of-3 shooting, 2-of-2 3PT, 7-of-8 FT, three assists
• Sha'Mya Leigh – 11 points, 5-of-7 shooting, three rebounds, three steals
• Sharita Godfrey – Nine points, 4-of-7 shooting, 1-of-3 3PT, three rebounds, 1 blocked shot
• Alyssia Faye – Eight points, 4-of-12 shooting, six rebounds, three assists
• Jamya Rogers – Six points, 4-of-4 FT, four rebounds, two assists

Team Statistics of Note

• Charleston Southern shot 50.0% (21-of-42) from the floor, 40.0% (4-of-10) from the three-point line, and 74.1% (20-of-27) from the free throw line in the win.
• The Bucs shot 55.6% (9-of-17) from the floor and 70.6% (12-of-17) from the free throw line in the second half on their way to recording the win.
• The Bucs scored 23 points on 20 WCU turnovers in the contest and held the 11-4 edge in fast-break points.
• Western Carolina held the 35-25 rebounding edge in the game and utilized it to hold the 30-18 scoring advantage inside the point.
• Paced by Rogers' six points off the bench, CSU held the 11-5 scoring advantage on bench scoring.
• The Bucs held the lead for 36:56 in the contest and never trailed in the game against the Catamounts.

Key Plays

2Q | 2:24 | CSU 26, WCU 20

Carmella Walker THROUGH the contact for an And-1! She's got 8 pts as the Bucs look to close the first half hot#builtBUCtough | #JoinTheSiege pic.twitter.com/NnxDYpeNiJ

— CSU Women's Basketball (@CSUBucsWBB) December 13, 2020

News & Notes

• The Bucs ran out the starting lineup of Godfrey, Faye, Walker, Leigh, and Fargo for the fourth time in the 2020-21 season.
• Fargo recorded her first collegiate double-digit scoring game with her 13 points in the contest.
• Walker made it back-to-back double-digit scoring games as she picked up the 17th of her career.
• Leigh's 11 points marked her team-leading third double-digit scoring effort of the season.
• Leigh recorded her second three-steal performance of the season.
• CSU improved to 2-9 all-time in the series against Western Carolina dating back to the inaugural matchup in 1978-79.
• The Bucs' win marked Head Coach Fred Applin's second win in the series, having guided CSU to the 80-59 win over the Catamounts back in the 2015-16 season.
• CSU shot 50.0% from the floor for the second time in the 2020-21 season with today's performance equaling the mark set against Florida (22-of-44) back on December 2.
• CSU shot over 70.0% from the free throw line for the third time this season with their 20-of-27 mark (74.1%) their second highest total on the year.

Up Next
Charleston Southern is back in action as the Bucs look ahead to Big South Conference play on Monday, December 21. The Bucs open up a two-game series at Hampton University with tipoff in the opener set for 4 p.m. inside the Hampton Convocation Center.