ATLANTA – Charleston Southern put up another valiant effort Sunday afternoon but fell just shy of victory, dropping a 55-50 decision at Georgia State at the Georgia State Holiday Classic inside the GSU Sports Arena.

SPREADING THE SCORING AROUND
Eight of the 10 Buccaneers who played scored at least two points with five players leading the way. Victoria Dames and Alyssia Faye each netted team highs of nine points, while Sharita Godfrey, Skylar Baltezegar and Jordan Rogers poured in eight points apiece.

BALTZEGAR STUFFS STAT SHEET
In addition to her eight points, Baltezegar finished as the team leader with seven rebounds, six of which were on the defensive glass, while also registering a CSU-high two blocks, one assist and one steal in just 12 minutes.

I'LL TAKE THAT
Madison Adamson led the defensive charge with four steals, helping the Buccaneers to 10 as a team. The Charleston Southern (0-10) defense forced the Panthers into 24 turnovers, including a late-game shot clock violation that returned the ball to the Bucs setting up a chance at tying the contest.

STARTING AND FINISHING STRONG
CSU outscored Georgia State (6-6) over the final 10 minutes, 17-to-15. It was the second period in which the Buccaneers held the advantage following a 13-to-12 edge through the opening quarter.

UP NEXT
Charleston Southern returns to the Buc Dome one more time before the Christmas holiday, playing host to Top-25 nationally-ranked Duke at Noon Tuesday live on ESPN+. The Blue Devils are 8-1 under head coach Kara Lawson and were ranked as high as No. 15 in last week's Associated Press poll.