Charleston Southern University Athletics
0-1
Southern Wesleyan
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Wesleyan | 29 | 26 | 55 |
| Charleston So. | 45 | 40 | 85 |
Balanced attack leads Buccaneers past Southern Wesleyan, 85-55
11/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tatum Jarvis led four CSU players in double-digits with 16 points as Charleston Southern opened up the home portion of their 2013 season with an 85-55 victory over Southern Wesleyan inside the Buc Dome on Tuesday night.
Jarvis connected on four of CSU's 10 three-pointers in the game to pace the Buccaneers offense as Charleston Southern had 13 players in the scoring column in picking up their first win of the young 2013-2014 season.
Charleston Southern improved to 1-1 overall on the 2013 season with the victory, while Southern Wesleyan fell to 1-2 overall with the loss.
The balanced offensive attack and the effort put forth by his bench were several of points that Head Coach Fred Applin was most pleased about in the game.
"We just wanted to play for forty minutes and play hard," commented Applin on the Bucs' game plan against the Warriors. "I think our whole bench played really well. That's something that going into conference play, we can really use to our advantage. I thought that everybody played to their ability. If our bench continues to play like this, I think we are going to be ok."
Paced by Jarvis' game-high 16 points, the Buccaneers went up by 30 points midway through the second half on a Rochelle Brophy layup on their way to cruising to the win over the Warriors. The CSU bench played a major role in the margin of victory, scoring 41 points to keep the pressure on Southern Wesleyan in each half.
Applin did notice several areas in which the Buccaneers could improve though, as CSU now turns their attention to Savannah State this weekend.
"I'm worried about our rebounding and boxing out," Applin continued. "Our tradition defense was also a little weak. They scored some easy fast break points tonight that they really shouldn't have. We have to take care of the ball. We let them back into the game. I think the freshman have to play to learn a little bit to get used to the speed, but that will come with a little bit more time."
Senior guards DJ Fowler and Erin Bratcher were also in double-digits for the Bucs as Fowler filled the statistics sheet with 13 points, adding seven steals, six rebounds and five assists in the game, while Bratcher had 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the contest. Junior forward Alise Karlsone was also in double-digits for the Bucs for the first time in her CSU playing career, putting in 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
"There is no doubt [how important senior leadership is]," Applin had to say about the team dynamic. "We have three seniors and three captains. We need to make sure they are taking care of the team and showing the younger players how to do things: how to compete in practice, how to practice hard every day and every play. This is just one game. We need to look at some film and prepare for the next one."
Southern Wesleyan was led by Christiana Perkins' 13 points off the bench as three Warriors were in double figures in the game. Briana Seda added 11 points, while Chelsie Waters chipped in 10 of her own to pace the SWU offense.
CSU never trailed in the contest as Fowler opened up the scoring with a steal and layup in the first 30 seconds of the contest to put the Buccaneers ahead early. Waters answered with a layup for the game's lone tie at the 18:35 mark in the first half, but Bratcher followed with the short jumper off the assist from Alyssa Mann on the following Bucs possession to give CSU the lead for good.
Charleston Southern had eight steals over the first 20 minutes of play, led by Fowler's four in the first half as CSU stretched their lead to double-digits at 24-12 with 12:44 to play in the first half on back-to-back three-pointers by Jarvis. The eight thefts led to 17 CSU points and 10 fast break points as the Bucs' lead reached as many as 18 points late in the first half.
Southern Wesleyan brought the contest back to within 10 points at 35-25 following a Michelle Anaya jumper with 6:33 on the clock, but the Buccaneers closed out the half with a 10-4 run capped by a layup by Brianna Lakes with nine seconds remaining as CSU took the 45-29 lead into the half.
The Buccaneers scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half as the lead reached 20 points with the CSU offense using several backdoor cuts and the interior offense of Natasha Lebedeva and Monique Maximilien down low to go up 53-31 with 18:13 remaining in the game.
Charleston Southern's bench did not allow the Warriors to mount a comeback in the second half as the Bucs stretched their lead out to 30 points on their way to closing out the 85-55 victory.
Charleston Southern won the battle of turnovers, forcing Southern Wesleyan to cough the ball up 31 times in the game, compared to only 18 from CSU. CSU also took the 47-38 advantage on the boards, led by Anicia Dotson's game-high eight rebounds, and the 46-32 scoring advantage in the paint.
Charleston Southern faces off with a familiar opponent this weekend as the Bucs travel to Savannah, Ga., on Saturday to take on Savannah State University. Tipoff between the Bucs and Lady Tigers inside Tiger Arena is set for 7 p.m.
