CLINTON, S.C. - Presbyterian utilized a strong second half and ended the game on a 22-4 run as Charleston Southern was unable to secure a key Big South win over the Blue Hose on Saturday afternoon as the Buccaneers fell 76-53 to PC inside the Templeton Center.

The Bucs (3-21, 1-14 Big South) fought to hold the narrow 35-34 lead at the halftime in their second contest against the Blue Hose (9-15, 5-10 Big South) this season. Kelsie Ruff drilled a three-pointer with :03 remaining in the second quarter to give CSU the one-point advantage at the break over PC in the back-and-forth first half that featured five lead changes and eight ties.

The Blue Hose utilized a trio of Kacie Hall three-pointers early in the third quarter as Presbyterian went on a 13-0 run on their way to building a 47-38 lead with 6:43 remaining in the frame. The Bucs rallied back with an 8-0 run of their own sparked by a pair of Tierra Steede baskets and an Ahlea Myers' fast-break layup to cut the deficit back down to one at 47-46 at the 2:54 mark.

PC again turned to Hall as the senior guard converted a pair of shots in the paint as the Blue Hose went into the fourth quarter with the 56-49 lead. From there, it was all Presbyterian as PC outscored the Bucs 20-4 over the final 10 minutes of the game.

Tess Santos led the way for the Blue Hose with the final 14 points of the game for PC as the Blue Hose held CSU to 1-of-8 shooting the remainder of the way in the Bucs' loss.

Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern was 21-of-51 (41.2%) from the floor, 4-of-17 (23.5%) from the three-point line, and 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Presbyterian was 25-of-56 (44.6%) from the floor, 12-of-22 (54.5%) from the three-point line, and 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the free throw line in the win.
• Presbyterian held the 21-7 edge in points off turnovers and the 7-0 edge in second-chance points in the game.
• CSU outscored the Blue Hose 24-22 in points in the paint and 6-2 edge in points on fast breaks.
• Paced by Ahlea Myers (12) and Tyra Wright (10), the Bucs outscored the Blue Hose 28-14 off the bench.
• Presbyterian held the 35-30 rebounding advantage and forced 14 CSU turnovers to their own eight miscues.

News & Notes

• Saturday marked the first time Charleston Southern was paced by two players scoring double-digits off the bench in the 2019-2020 season.
• Ahlea Myers scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers in her first double-digit scoring effort since December 28, 2019 against USC Upstate.
• Tyra Wright (10) was back in double-digits for the second game in a row and third time this season as the freshman forward hit 5-of-9 shots from the floor.
• CSU's 16 assists marked a season-high against a NCAA Division I opponent and the third-most by the Buccaneers in the 2019-20 season.
• The Bucs recorded a season-low three steals in the game on Saturday afternoon.
• CSU's 41.2% shooting percentage marked the Bucs' ninth game hitting at least 40-percent of their shots from the floor.
• Tori Gittens' three-point streak came to an end at five consecutive games as the freshman guard was 0-for-2 from behind the arc on Saturday.
• Presbyterian holds the 15-13 all-time series edge over the Buccaneers.

Up Next
Charleston Southern is back home on Tuesday, February 18, as the Buccaneers welcome UNC Asheville to the Buc Dome. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.