CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston took advantage of a 23-0 run in the first half to pull away from host Charleston Southern on Monday afternoon inside the Buc Dome as the Lady Cougars topped CSU, 76-45.

Charleston Southern (5-5) struggled to hit from the floor in the game, shooting 23.0 percent (14-of-61) from the floor and went a span of nearly 13 minutes in the first half without a score in falling to .500 on the season. College of Charleston (6-5) was led by Latisha Harris' double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

Shay Jones led CSU's scoring efforts in the game with 13 points, hitting 9-of-10 from the free throw line as Charleston Southern shot 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the charity stripe in the contest. Lakeitha Alston added 11 points and seven rebounds in the loss, while Erin Bratcher had seven points, including the Lady Bucs' lone three-pointer in the contest.

Harris led all players with 20 points and added 13 rebounds as CofC held the 53-29 rebounding advantage in the game. Alyssa Frye added 15 points, hitting five three-pointers in the game, while Megan Fischer was also in double-digits with 11 points and eight rebounds in the win.

In the first half, College of Charleston forced 12 CSU turnovers and outscored the Lady Bucs 20-6 in the paint lead by 10 first half points by Latisha Harris. Whitney Collins led CSU in the first half with four points, hitting two of the three field goals CSU made in the half

Collins opened the scoring in the contest, spinning in the paint for a hook shot at the 19:29 mark for CSU as the Lady Bucs held the early lead. Cathryn Hardy followed with a layup two minutes later to even the score at 2 apiece for CofC and Alyssa Frye followed with a three-pointer on the next Lady Cougars trip down the court as College of Charleston took control of the contest early.

Hardy's and Frye's baskets began a 23-0 run spanning from the 17:30 mark in the first half to the 6:56 mark as the Lady Cougars hit four three-pointers during the run. The Cougars' defense held Charleston Southern 0-for-14 from the floor during the stretch in building the 23-2 lead with 7:14 to play in the opening half following a layup by Mikaela Hopkins.

Alston snapped the CSU scoreless streak with a pair of free throws at the 6:56 mark and Collins hit her second layup of the contest to put the score at 27-7 with 5:47 to play in the opening half, but College of Charleston answered with a 15-4 run in closing out the first half with the 42-11 halftime lead.

Charleston Southern battled back to put the score within 30 as Alston drove in for a layup to put the score at 59-29 with 11:53 to play. CofC responded with an 11-0 run capped by a jumper by Shannon Hines in building their largest lead of the game at 72-31 with 6:49 to play in the game.

The Lady Bucs closed out the game with an 8-0 run over the final 1:34 of the game as Jones and Zhaquondalee' Greer hit four consecutive shots, but the deficit was too much to overcome as College of Charleston topped CSU 76-45.

Alston finished the game three points shy of tying Kelsey Wasmer (2007-11) of becoming the eighth-leading scorer in CSU women's basketball history. Alston currently has 1,174 career points in the blue and gold of the Lady Bucs.

Charleston Southern continues the 2012-2013 season in the new year as the Lady Bucs return to the road and Big South Conference play on Thursday, January 3rd, as CSU travels to High Point, N.C. to take on High Point University. Tipoff between the Lady Bucs and the Lady Panthers is set for 7 p.m.