CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern closes out the 2019-20 regular season this weekend as the Buccaneers women's basketball team welcomes Longwood University to the CSU Field House on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Lancers is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Bucs (4-24, 2-17 Big South) will be recognizing seniors Tierra Steede and Cailah Hicklin in a pregame ceremony prior to tipoff. The senior duo have been among the team's leaders down the stretch with both players posting highlight games on Wednesday night at High Point.

Hicklin paced the Bucs' scoring efforts in CSU's last game against the Panthers as the senior forward posted a career-high 12 points in 14 minutes of play and added four rebounds in the Bucs' loss to the Panthers. Steede posted her seventh double-digit rebounding effort of the season with 11 boards, to go with eight points for the Bucs.

The duo's efforts nearly led the Bucs to their third conference win of the regular season as CSU opened up an eight-point lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a balanced scoring approach that featured six different scorers as the Buccaneers jumped ahead early. The Panthers responded with a double-digit swing to take the lead before the break and carried the advantage through the remainder of the game on their way to closing out the season sweep.

The Buccaneers nearly overcame a 31-24 halftime deficit with a 10-3 stretch to open the second half and tie the game up for the second time. Steede capped the stretch with a layup at the 6:38 mark to tie the game up at 34-34 to knot the score up for the first time in the game.

The Bucs kept the game within one possession throughout the next four minutes as Hicklin drilled a three-pointer to tie the game at 41-41 with 2:51 remaining. Zaria Wright put the Panthers on her back late in the third quarter on her way to scoring eight consecutive points for HPU, before Danielle Deoul drilled a three-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Panthers the five-point lead.

High Point outscored the Bucs 19-9 over the final 10 minutes of the contest on their way to pulling away for the win.

The Bucs will be looking for their senior leaders to pace the way again this weekend as CSU welcomes a Longwood team looking to secure a home game in the 2020 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Championships First Round. The Lancers (7-12) currently sit a half-game ahead of Presbyterian in the conference standings and are battling for the No. 8 seed in the tournament.

CSU will look to spoil the party as they rely on Steede and Hicklin to make a difference on the courts again.

Steede enters the weekend leading the Bucs in scoring (9.7) and rebounds (7.1) per game on the season, while also leading the team with 27 blocked shots. Her numbers put her among the Big South leaders in all three categories on the year, including fifth in blocked shots and seventh in rebounding.

Hicklin has steadily gained a larger role on the court over the last six games. The Columbia, S.C. native has posted at least six points in two of the last three games and three rebounds in the last six coming off the bench.

Carmella Walker is coming off her 13th double-digit scoring effort of the season with 10 points against the Panthers. The junior guard averages 9.5 points per game, while sitting third in the Big South with 2.2 steals per game. She's also fourth in the conference with a 78.7% free throw percentage on the year.

Sharita Godfrey (8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Kelsie Ruff (7.6 ppg, 2.1 apg), and Sha'Mya Leigh (57 assists, 28 steals) have also been among CSU's leaders on the season.
In the first matchup against the Lancers back on January 9, Longwood utilized hot-shooting from the three-point line on their way to pulling away from the Bucs, 84-64.

The Lancers connected on five first-quarter three-pointers on their way to jumping out to a double-digit lead on their way to picking up their third Big South win of the season. The Bucs had three players score double-digits paced by Carmella Walker's 16-point effort in the conference defeat.

Tra'dayja Smith paced the Lancers with a triple-double in the contest with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win. Anne-Hamilton Leroy added 21 points and five assists, while Kyla McMakin posted 14 points to finish in double figures.

The Lancers (11-17, 7-12 Big South) are coming off a 69-56 win over USC Upstate this past Wednesday behind a 27-point, 10-rebound outburst from Dayna Rouse and a 20-point performance from the Big South's leading scorer Kyla McMakin. Akila Smith added 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in the win.

McMakin leads the Lancers and the Big South Conference in scoring with 18.7 points per game on the season. The freshman has connected on a team-high 66 three-pointers and sit among the Big South leaders in a number of different categories, including rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, steals, and minutes played.

Rouse is sixth in the conference with 15.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. The senior is also leading the Big South with a 54.3% field goal percentage on the year. The Lancers have two other individuals pacing the Big South in assists per game and blocks per game with Tra'Dayja Smith averaging 6.5 assists per contest, while Akila Smith is averaging 2.4 rejections per contest.

Up Next
Charleston Southern is currently projected to face UNC Asheville on Tuesday, March 10, in the first round of the 2020 Hercules Tires Big South Women's Basketball Championships. The full seedings and tournament field will be announced on Saturday evening following the conclusion of the regular season games.