HIGH POINT, N.C. – Charleston Southern was unable to overcome High Point's surges at the end of each half as the Buccaneers fell on the road to the host Panthers inside the Millis Center on Wednesday night, 71-55.
 
CSU (4-24, 2-17 Big South) 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 (15-13, 13-6 Big South) 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. Tierra 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 Cailah 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.
 
Hicklin posted her first double-digit scoring effort of the 2019-20 season for the Buccaneers as the senior finished with a team-high 12 points off the bench. She was 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-2 from behind the arc to cap her efforts. Carmella Walker added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss, while Tierra Steede finished with eight points and 11 boards.
 
Camryn Brown led three Panthers in double-digit scoring on Wednesday night with 21 points. She narrowly missed out on the triple-double with nine assists and nine rebounds in the win. Wright added 20 points, while Edwards posted 12 points and 12 rebounds for High Point.
 
Inside the Statistics

• Charleston Southern shot 36.4% (24-of-66) from the floor, 20.0% (2-of-10) from behind the arc, and 83.3% (5-of-6) from the free throw line in the loss.
• High Point shot 39.3% (24-of-61) from the floor, 37.5% (9-of-24) from the three-point line, and 82.4% (14-of-17) from the free throw line in the win.
• Both teams attacked the paint in the contest with CSU (34) and High Point (28) combining for 62 points inside the lane.
• Both teams also prioritized bench scoring with High Point (24) holding the narrow advantage over the Bucs (19).
• CSU held the 8-5 edge in scoring off turnovers.
• High Point held the 7-6 edge in fast-break points.
• It was a mostly turnover free game with CSU (9) and High Point (11) both finishing below their season averages in the category.
• High Point held the 43-38 rebounding edge in the game.

News & Notes

• Cailah Hicklin's 12-point game marked a career-high scoring effort for the senior and her first collegiate double-digit scoring game at CSU.
• Carmella Walker's 10-point effort was her team-leading 13th double-digit scoring game of the 2019-20 season.
• Tierra Steede posted her seventh double-digit rebounding game of the year.
• The Bucs' nine turnovers in the game matched their season low set against Radford back on January 4, 2020.
• The Bucs fall to 14-32 all-time against the Panthers in the all-time series.

Up Next
Charleston Southern returns to the Buccaneer Field House on Saturday, March 7, for Senior Day as the Bucs will recognize 2019-20 seniors Tierra Steede and Cailah Hicklin in a pregame ceremony prior to tipping off in the regular season finale against Longwood. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Lancers on ESPN+ is set for 3 p.m.