Charleston Southern University Athletics
2-1
Coppin St.
1-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coppin St. | 20 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 58 |
| Charleston So. | 12 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 72 |
11/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern used a balanced team effort to overcome a five-point halftime deficit as the Bucs defeated Coppin State, 72-58, on Monday night at the Buc Dome.
CSU (2-1) had four players score in double figures with Rachel Burns leading the way with 15 points and five rebounds. Ke'Asia Jackson and Shelby Wilbanks had 13 points each, while Njeri Nelms added 12 points.
Coppin State (1-3) controlled the pace early and took a 13-12 lead on a Mia Crooms three-pointer with 2:00 left in the first quarter. The basket sparked a ten-point run for the Eagles as a Genesis Lucas layup with 20 seconds to go gave Coppin State a 20-12 lead at the end of the first frame.
Lexii Cassell's layup trimmed the lead to 23-18 with 6:55 left in the second quarter. Lucas, who led the Eagles with 16 points, made a jumper with 5:40 to play to give Coppin State a 27-19 lead. Burns cut the score to 27-24 on a three-pointer with 3:51 remaining in the second period. A Wilbanks jumper narrowed the margin to 29-28 with 1:53 to go until halftime before Coppin State went on a 6-2 run to close out the half.
CSU came out hot in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 23-6 in the period. Coppin State led 40-35 when a Jackson jumper with 5:53 left started an 18-3 run for the Bucs. A Jackson trey with three seconds to go capped off the run and CSU led 53-41 at the end of the third quarter.
Maraiyah Smith's free throw cut the lead to 53-50 with 6:55 remaining in the game. The Bucs bounced back when Wilbanks converted a traditional three-point play to give CSU a 58-50 lead with 5:10 left. Back-to-back layups from Burns put the Bucs in front 64-52 with 3:38 to go in the contest. CSU led by as many as 16 points on the way to closing the game and picking up its second straight win.
Inside the Numbers
- Njeri Nelms had another stellar shooting performance with 12 points on 5-6 from the field and 2-2 from the three-point line. Nelms added five assists and one steal.
- Shelby Wilbanks had 13 points on 6-12 from the field and 1-1 from the free throw line. Wilbanks had nine rebounds and two blocks.
- Ke'Asia Jackson scored all 13 of her points in the second half on 5-11 shooting and 3-4 from behind the three-point arc. Jackson added three assists and one steal.
- Weknyne Dumorne tied her career-high with nine points. Dumorne had six rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes of action.
News and Notes
- Charleston Southern won its second straight game at home after falling in the season opener to Lipscomb.
- CSU defeated Coppin State for the first time in program history. The Eagles won the only other meeting in 1989.
- The Bucs had nine players see action with six players contributing seven or more points.
- Burns becomes the third player to lead the Bucs in scoring this season. Jackson led CSU with 12 points against Lipscomb and Nelms paced the Bucs with 20 points in a win over Erskine.
- CSU shot 50.9% from the field as a team. It's the highest field goal percentage for the Bucs since November 26, 2013, when CSU shot 51.5% against Converse.
- Charleston Southern has outrebounded its opponent in all three games this season including tonight's 34-30 advantage on the boards.
Up Next
CSU travels to play in the FIU Tournament on November 25-26 in Miami, Fla. The Bucs face Hartford to open the tournament on November 25 at 2 p.m. in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
