Charleston Southern University Athletics
2-2
Converse
0-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Converse | 33 | 15 | 48 |
| Charleston So. | 41 | 47 | 88 |
Buccaneers run away with 88-48 win over Converse
11/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern used an offensive explosion coming out of the halftime break in running away from Converse in their final matchup before Thanksgiving, topping the visiting Valkyries inside the Buc Dome, 88-48.
The Buccaneers went on a 25-2 run early in the second half to turn an eight point halftime lead into a commanding 31 point advantage with a little over 13 minutes remaining in the game as Charleston Southern improved to 3-0 at home in the 2013 season and 3-2 overall on the year.
"I told them [at halftime] to play as a team; to go out and together win the game," commented head coach Fred Applin following the game. "We executed where we needed to. I think our second five that came in, they set the tempo on defense and that really sparked us. It was a team effort tonight and everyone played well."
Four Buccaneers scored in double-digits in the game, led by DJ Fowler's 18 points, while 13 CSU players were in the scoring column in the contest as Charleston Southern picked up their second win in a row heading into next week's Big South Conference opener against UNC Asheville.
Charleston Southern's offense lagged at times in the first half, turning the ball over nine times in the first 20 minutes and the Buccaneers shot 50.0 percent (9-for-18) from the free-throw line in the first half in building a 41-33 halftime advantage over the Valkyries.
"I think we came out with zero intensity," Applin had to say about the Bucs' performance in the first half. "I challenged them to come out in the second half and play some defense. Don't worry about the scoring. We need to rebound. I keep saying that after every game but it is the key to our success. The rebounding and defense was really down in the first half."
Charleston Southern held the 42-31 advantage on the boards in the game, including a 21-12 edge in the second half in pulling away from the Valkyries. Paced by nine rebounds by Anicia Dotson, the Buccaneers also held the 42-18 edge on points in the paint and 20-5 edge in second half points in the game.
"People are going to get their shots," Applin closed out with about the team's overall performance. "But I don't want people to look for their shots. I want it to come in the flow of the offense. We have to run our offense and look for the open player. We did that in the second half and more people had the opportunity to score. We have to continue to play as a team."
Fowler led all players with a near perfect showing on the court on the evening, finishing the game with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor. Her lone miss, a three-point attempt at the 11:08 mark in the first half, was the only blemish in a night that included nine steals and five assists over a span of 28 minutes for the senior guard.
Freshman forward Tatum Jarvis was also in double-digits for the third time of the season, putting in a season-high 17 points including four three-pointers in the game, while senior guard Erin Bratcher connected on four treys of her own to finish with 14 points. Dotson closed out the Bucs in double-digits with 12 points in the game, to go with her team-high nine rebounds.
Samira Gillcrese led the Converse offense on the evening with 12 points in the game as the Valkyries shot 39.6 percent from the floor in the contest. Brooke Garrison was also in double-digits with 10 points. Gillcrese added a team-high seven rebounds in the game to pace the Valkyries on the boards.
The Valkyries opened the game with the first four points of the contest, but the Buccaneers were quick to respond, as Bratcher connected on a three-pointer and Fowler had her first steal and layup of the night to put CSU ahead 5-4 with 17:48 remaining in the half. The teams battled through a trio of early ties with Converse taking their final lead of the game at 10-7 on a trey by Garrison with 16:28 on the clock. CSU battled back on a jumper in the paint by Dotson and back-to-back layups by Fowler and Jarvis before a three-pointer by Converse's Kassidy Moorhouse knotted the game up for the final time at 13-13.
A three-pointer by Jarvis swung the advantage back to the Bucs as Charleston Southern went up by as many as 10 points, going up 36-26 following a pair of free throws by Dotson with 3:35 left in the half. The Bucs lead remained double-digits at 40-30 on a layup by Bratcher, before a late three-pointer by Erin Horne sent the teams into the locker room with CSU holding the 41-33 halftime lead.
Charleston Southern hit their first six shots coming out of the halftime break, using a 25-2 run to push the lead to 66-35 with 12:46 remaining in the first half on a short jumper in the paint by Nayla Long. The 25-2 run featured a 6:55 minute span in which the Valkyries went 0-for-3 from the floor and turned the ball over eight times during the stretch as the Bucs defensive trap denied Converse's offense from finding the net.
The Buccaneers bench closed out the game as CSU posted the 32-14 advantage on scoring off the bench in taking home the eventual 88-48 victory over Converse.
CSU converted 27 Converse turnovers into 40 points in the game, with Fowler's nine steals matching a career high the senior guard set last season against Point. The nine steals is seven short of the CSU all-time single game record of 16 set by Cathy Coker back on December 2, 1985, against Methodist, and puts Fowler in a four-way tie with herself, Katie Tull and Yolanda Brown for second most in a game in Bucs history.
Charleston Southern is back in action at home on Monday, December 2nd, as the Buccaneers open Big South Conference play against visiting UNC Asheville. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m., with the game to be streamed live on the Big South Network.
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