Charleston Southern University Athletics
1-2
Wofford
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wofford | 23 | 22 | 45 |
| Charleston So. | 31 | 37 | 68 |
Bucs win battle of the boards, top Wofford 68-45
11/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern put together their most complete game of the young 2013-14 season and Erin Bratcher passed a career milestone in the first half as the Buccaneers topped visiting Wofford on Wednesday evening inside the Buc Dome, 68-45.
Head Coach Fred Applin entered the game preaching the mantra of rebounding to the team after the Buccaneers had been out-rebounded in all three games this season entering the Wednesday matchup against the Terriers. CSU responded early and often in the contest, pulling down 16 of the first 22 rebounds in the game en route to a 44-29 advantage on the glass over the Terriers in picking up their second win of the season.
"Rebounding was key for us tonight," commented Applin on the team's effort on the evening. "That and execution. I thought we did a really good job of doing both of those tonight. We did great in the first half and there was probably a five minute stretch there in the second half where we let them back in. So I called a timeout and told the girls, 'You've got to execute. You've got to rebound." After that we really took control of the game."
Bratcher entered the contest with 147 career three-pointers made and the senior guard connected on three of her first four attempts from behind the mark to go over 150 made in her career, becoming only the fourth player in Charleston Southern history to achieve that mark. Bratcher finished the evening going 4-of-10 from behind the arc to end with 16 points in the game.
"It felt good early," Bratcher had to say following the contest in the postgame interview session. "Shots were falling and we started well. Our confidence was a lot better tonight and we really came tougher as a team."
Fowler breached the 20 point mark for the first time of the season to lead all scorers in the game with 22 points, going 8-for-9 from the floor to pace a Charleston Southern offense that shot a season-best 43.6 percent from the floor in the contest.
"I was happy with our bench play. Our bench came in and played really well," Applin closed out with. "I think we still have things we need to improve on. We need to continue getting better at boxing out and rebounding. We did better tonight, but it needs to continue to be a focus of ours. It is something that we've stressed. Our opponents can't get second shots. That is going to be our key this whole year. Making sure that every team that comes in here; that we box out and don't allow second chance points."
Wofford was led by Jordan Frazier's 17 points in the game, taking advantage of a 9-for-12 shooting performance at the free throw line, while Lauren Kirby was also in double-digits with 10 points and a team-high five rebounds in the game.
The Terriers jumped out to the 7-2 lead to open up the game as Frazier banked in a three-pointer from the top of the key in the early going as Wofford held the early advantage 90 seconds into the contest. Bratcher got the Buccaneers offense going with her first three-pointer of the game and Rochelle Brophy followed with a pair of free throws to even the score at 7-7 with 15:38 to play in the game.
Three free throws by Kirby and Frazier gave the Terriers the narrow 10-9 advantage before Charleston Southern rattled off a 10-0 run started by a short jumper in the corner by Alyssa Mann before Bratcher connected on a layup and her second three-pointer of the game as CSU took the 19-10 lead. Bratcher's third three-pointer came two minutes later at the 10:55 mark to advance the Bucs lead to double-digits for the first time in the game, giving CSU the 22-12 lead.
The Buccaneers continued to hold the double-digit lead with 2:44 left in the first half as Tatum Jarvis drove in for the layup to keep the 31-20 lead, but Wofford closed out with the final three points as Frazier connected on a free throw with 27 seconds remaining as CSU held the 31-23 halftime lead going into the break.
A Fowler three-point play stretched the Buccaneers lead back out to double-digits with 16:52 remaining in the game as CSU's lead reached 38-27 as Charleston Southern went on an 18-4 run stretching a nearly nine minute span in the second half. The Bucs lead reached a game-high 24 points with 7:55 to play as Alise Karlsone converted a pair of free throws to put CSU ahead 55-31 as the Buccaneer cruised to the 68-45 victory.
Mann led the Buccaneers rebounding efforts in the game with eight boards, while Monique Maximilien had seven rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the CSU defensive efforts in the game.
Charleston Southern remains at home next week as the Buccaneers host Converse College inside the Buc Dome on Tuesday evening. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Valkyries is set for 5 p.m.
