Charleston Southern University Athletics
4-6, 1-1BSC
Radford
2-10, 0-3BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern | 54 | 30 | 84 |
| Radford | 26 | 38 | 64 |
First half offensive explosion leads Bucs over Highlanders, 84-64
12/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern used a 27-2 run in the middle of the first half to take control early against Radford as the Buccaneers picked up their first Big South Conference win of the season following their 84-64 win over the Highlanders inside the Dedmon Center on Saturday afternoon.
With the score at 6-4 following a layup by Radford's Rachel Ross, Charleston Southern went on a 27-2 run covering the next 10 minutes of action with Bratcher connecting on four three-pointers during the stretch to give the Buccaneers an overwhelming lead as CSU coasted to the win in their first game following the Christmas holidays.
Erin Bratcher tied the Dedmon Center record for three-pointers made in a game with six triples in the contest, while Anicia Dotson and DJ Fowler both had double-doubles for the Buccaneers as Charleston Southern improves to 4-6, 1-1 in Big South play with the victory.
Dotson scored a career high 22 points and added a season-high 11 rebounds in the contest to pace the Buccaneers offense on the game. The senior forward finished the afternoon shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 2-for-3 from behind the three-point line in the victory, adding three assists and a pair of steals to her totals in the game.
Bratcher tied her career-high with six made three-pointers in the game and had the hot hand in the first half in connecting on 4-of-5 attempts from behind the arc. She finished 6-for-8 from distance in the contest and added six rebounds in the game, finishing the game in playing a season-high 36 minutes on the floor for the Bucs.
Fowler closed out the game with her first career double-double at CSU, finishing with 13 points and 10 assists in the contest. The senior guard also finished 5-for-7 from the floor as the Buccaneers shot 49.1 percent as a team in the contest with the win. Fowler, who also leads the Big South in steals per game, led the Buccaneers with three takeaways in the contest.
Radford had three players in double-digits in the scoring column in the game, led by Ayana Avery's 14 points as the Highlanders fall to 2-10, 0-3 in Big South play on the year. Aisha Foy added 13 points, while Ross had 12 points as Radford struggled to connect from the floor in shooting 37.3 percent as a team in the game. The Highlanders also coughed the ball up 21 times in the game, leading to 16 CSU points in the contest.
The Highlanders held their lone lead of the game on the opening possession following Kiera McIvor's jumper 15 seconds into the contest. Charleston Southern's Alyssa Mann responded on the other end with a three-pointer to swing the advantage to the Buccaneers and Fowler followed with a trey to put the Bucs ahead 6-2 with 18:46 remaining in the first half.
Ross cut the deficit down to two with 18:46 remaining and Foy added a jumper at the 12:45 mark, but those were the only two baskets for the Highlanders over an 8:36 minute stretch as Charleston Southern went on a 27-2 run in building a 33-6 lead with 8:20 remaining in the first half. Fowler sparked the stretch with a pair of layups as five CSU players scored during the run in giving the Bucs a commanding first half lead.
The Buccaneers margin was 32 with 52-20 when Bratcher drove in for the layup with 58 seconds remaining in the half as the Buccaneers held the 54-26 lead heading into the half.
Radford cut the deficit under 20 points with seven minutes remaining as Avery connected on a three-pointer with 6:59 left on the clock as the Highlanders made a late run to threaten the Buccaneers lead. RU cut the margin all the way back to within 14 with 5:44 left in the contest following another Avery three-pointer, putting the score at 70-56.
However, three straight three-pointers by Dotson and Bratcher stretched the lead back out to 22 as the Buccaneers closed out the 84-64 victory.
Radford held the slim 38-37 rebounding margin in the game, but Charleston Southern had the 32-16 advantage on points in the paint. The Bucs also forced 21 Radford turnovers, leading to 13 fast break points in the win.
Monique Maximilien tied a career-high with eight points in the game and added three rebounds in the contest.
Charleston Southern remains on the road in Big South Conference play on Monday afternoon as the Buccaneers travel to Winthrop University and the Winthrop Coliseum. Tipoff between the Bucs and Eagles is set for 2 p.m., with the game to be streamed live on the Big South Network.
