College of Charleston 71, South Carolina State 62
Charleston, S.C. ? Sarah Moye (Alpharetta, Ga.) posted her fourth career double-double to lead the College of Charleston women’s basketball team to the 71-62 victory over South Carolina State in action tonight in front of 265 fans at the Carolina First Arena.
Charleston improves to 5-1, its best start in school Division I history. The Bulldogs drop to 1-4 on the season.
The Cougars built a 16-point, 54-38 lead with 9:51 remaining in the game before S. C. State cut the margin to six, 56-50, with 5:45 to go off a 12-2 run. That would be as close as the Bulldogs would get as Charleston rattled off four straight points to increase the lead to 10. The Cougars connected on seven-of-eight free throws down the stretch to keep S. C. State from getting any closer.
S. C. State shot just 15.4 percent from the field in the first half, connecting on only four field goals in 26 attempts. The Bulldogs were 14-of-17 from the charity stripe in the half to keep the game within reach. Charleston was up by as much as 13 in the first half before heading into the locker room with the nine-point, 31-22 lead.
Charleston shot 38.4 percent from the field for the game, while the Bulldogs shot 48.4 percent in the second half to end the game with a 33.3 field goal percentage. S. C. State went 21-for-29 from the free throw line, compared to 13-for-20 for the Cougars. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Cougars 46-44 but had 12 more turnovers, 22-10. Charleston converted 20 points off turnovers compared to just one for the Bulldogs. Charleston’s bench outscored S. C. State’s bench, 25-4.
Moye had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars. Jade Hughes (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Ericka Williams (Blackville, S.C.) followed with 10 points each. Nikki Williams (North, S.C.) pulled down five rebounds tonight to become the sixth player in CofC Division I history to reach 500 career rebounds.
Marie Reid had a double-double for S. C. State with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Sophilia Hipp followed with 20 points on the night.
Charleston begins a three-game road trip and its Southern Conference slate with a stop at UNC Greensboro Saturday, Dec. 6 at 12:00 p.m. S. C. State hosts Winston-Salem State the same day at 2:00 p.m.
Georgia Southern 80, High Point 69
High Point, N.C. - Georgia Southern used a 16-0 run at the start to down High Point 80-69 Wednesday night at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C. Ashley Melson (Newnan, Ga.) scored seven of her 9 first half points during that stretch. The senior guard tied her career high of 24 points set last season at Davidson. J’Lisia Ogburn (Dublin, Ga.) and Ashley Rivens (Charlotte, N.C.) joined Melson in double-figures.
“Melson had an outstanding game. It was one of her best of the year,” said head coach Rusty Cram. “She was poised throughout the entire night and was under control all night.”
Georgia Southern improves to 5-2 (1-0) with the win, while the Panthers fall to 2-5 on the year.
“We had some good rhythm,” said Cram. “Our defense looked spectacular at times out there.”
The Lady Eagles extended their first half lead to 20-4 at the second media timeout, but High Point cut the lead to 10 points with 9:56 remaining. The Panthers got the lead under 10 points with 46 seconds remaining in the first half, but were unable to hold it as Georgia Southern went into the locker room leading 42-30 after freshman Brittney Nelson (Rochester, Mich.) drained a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.
Freshman Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) set a new career high in the first half and finished the day with seven points.
Georgia Southern started the second half with an 8-2 run, before Jurica Hargraves drained a 3-pointer to get within 15 at the 16:15 mark. The Lady Eagles led by as many as 25 with 12:31 remaining, but the Panthers went on a 16-2 run late in the second half and got the lead under double-figures with 20 seconds left.
“They do not quit, and they play hard especially at home,” said Cram.
Carolyn Whitney (Duluth, Ga.) nailed two free throws to give Georgia Southern an 80-69 win. The junior guard scored eight points and set a new career high in assists with 10. The last time a Georgia Southern player recorded 10+ assists was in 2003, when Tiffany Lanier dished out 11.
Jessica Geiger (Stone Mountain, Ga.) set a new career high in rebounds for the second time this season with 12.
Shamia Brown led High Point with 20 points and was in double-figures in the first half.
The Lady Eagles will return to conference play Saturday at Elon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Alumni Gym.