CHARLESTON, S.C. - Hampton utilized a 12-0 run at the end of the third quarter and held off a late Charleston Southern comeback attempt as the Buccaneers fell to the visiting Pirates on Saturday afternoon in the Buccaneer Field House, 64-59.
 
Trailing 42-40 with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter following a Carmella Walker jumper, Hampton (10-7, 6-2 Big South) sparked their 12-point swing with a Makayla Timmons three-pointer on the ensuing Pirates possession. Timmons drilled another three-pointer later in the quarter, while Laren VanArsdale chipped in a late layup to put HU ahead 49-42.
 
The Pirates scored the first three points of the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to double-digits at 52-42 with 8:52 remaining before the Bucs mounted their comeback attempt. 
 
Trailing 58-50 with 3:43 remaining following a Nylah Young layup, Walker connected on an open three-pointer from the left corner to cut the gap down to five points. Asia Smith followed with a pair of free throws before the freshman forward found Tierra Steede for the open layup to complete the 7-0 run and cut the gap down to 58-57 with 2:26 left on the clock.
 
Hampton's Dlayla Chakolis and CSU's Ahlea Myers traded baskets late as the Bucs (3-13, 1-6 Big South) kept the gap within one point with 40 seconds remaining. VanArsdale drove in for a late layup to stretch the Hampton lead back to three points with 10 ticks remaining.
 
The Bucs had one final opportunity to tie the game up, but Sharita Godfrey's three-pointer was redirected and Young sealed the game at the line for the Pirates in the Big South matchup.
 
Steede paced the Bucs with her second double-double of the season as the senior forward posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. She was 8-of-12 from the floor in the loss and added two blocked shots.
 
Walker added 14 points and five boards, while Godfrey posted seven points and seven rebounds in the loss.
 
Nylah Long posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in the winning effort for the Pirates. VanArsdale paced the scoring efforts with 17 points, while Timmons connected on a team-high three three-pointers in scoring 16 points.
 
First Quarter – Hampton 20, Charleston Southern 19
The first quarter featured nine lead changes with Hampton taking control late in the quarter following an Ashley Bates' three-pointer at the 1:21 mark. Tierra Steede paced the Bucs with six early points as CSU outscored the Pirates 14-6 inside the paint in the quarter. Hampton connected on four three-pointers with Timmons dishing out five assists in the opening frame. 
 
Second Quarter – Hampton 34, Charleston Southern 32
Six more lead changes highlighted the second quarter as the Bucs and Pirates continued to battle through the first half. CSU went up 29-28 with 3:35 remaining in the quarter on an Asia Smith layup, before the Pirates went on a 6-3 run to close out the half in taking the two-point lead into the locker room.
 
Third Quarter – Hampton 49, Charleston Southern 42
CSU kept the game within one possession throughout a majority of the third quarter as the Bucs tied the contest back up at 40-40 following back-to-back jumpers from Steede and Myers. Walker put CSU ahead 42-40 with 2:42 remaining in the frame before Hampton scored nine consecutive points highlighted by a pair of Timmons' three-pointers to hold the lead in the back-and-forth game heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter – Hampton 64, Charleston Southern 59
Hampton was 5-of-6 from the free throw line to hold off the Charleston Southern comeback in the fourth quarter. Walker was a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range in the frame with her final triple cutting the Pirates lead down to 58-53. However, the Bucs were unable to complete the comeback attempt in the Big South matchup.
 
Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern was 26-of-57 (45.6%) from the floor, 4-of-19 (21.1%) from the three-point line, and 3-of-5 (60.0%) from the free throw line in the loss.
• Hampton was 35.6% (21-of-59) from the floor, 30.4% (7-of-23) from behind the arc, and 83.3% (15-of-18) from the free throw line in the win.
• Charleston Southern won the points in the paint battle with the 38-28 edge inside the lane.
• The Bucs also held the 6-5 advantage in second-chance points and 12-7 edge in scoring off the bench.
• Hampton won the turnover battle with the 16-6 advantage and held the 12-10 scoring edge in fast-break points.
• Kelsie Ruff posted a team-high five assists to go with six points scored

News & Notes

• Tierra Steede posted her second double-double of the season with her 18-point, 10-rebound performance against the Pirates.
• The senior forward posted her first with 14 points and 11 rebounds back on December 31, 2019 against Gardner-Webb.
• Steede's double-digit scoring mark was her fifth of the season and 10th of her career.
• Carmella Walker hit double-digits for the 10th time this season following her 14-point output against the Pirates.
• CSU's 45.6% field goal percentage was the Bucs' second-highest mark of the season, trailing only their 49.4% mark set back on December 7 against Virginia Lynchburg.

Up Next
The Bucs are back on the road on Tuesday, January 21, as CSU heads to Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C. as Charleston Southern takes on Campbell University. Tipoff on ESPN+ is set for 7 p.m.