Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern was unable to overcome a strong second half from UNC Asheville as the Bulldogs defeated the Bucs, 78-61, on Tuesday at the Buc Dome.
CSU falls to 7-11, 2-5 following the defeat, while UNC Asheville improves to 9-9, 6-1 with the win. Shelby Wilbanks led the Bucs with 16 points, while Rachel Burns added nine points and seven rebounds.
UNC Asheville used its size to its advantage as the Bulldogs held a 38-26 edge in points in the paint. Asheville had a solid shooting night as it went 49.1% (27-of-55) from the field and 50.0% (7-of-14) from behind the three-point arc. The Bucs shot only 35.6% (21-of-59) from the floor and 30.8% (4-of-13) from three-point range.
"I thought we played well at times," head coach Fred Applin said. "This is a long season. We are young and I think we competed very well. The part that we have to get better at is rebounding. Asheville out-rebounded us and scored on some of those rebounds and I think that was the difference in the game."
The Bulldogs ran out of the gates with a 10-4 lead when Bronaza Fitzgerald made a layup with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter. CSU kept it close as Wilbanks scored the final five points of the period for the Bucs, including a jumper with nine seconds left to cut UNC Asheville's lead to 16-15.
Lexii Cassell's three-pointer tied the game 21-21 with 7:32 to play in the second quarter. The Bulldogs responded with an 11-2 run to go ahead 32-23 on a Juliet Esadah layup. Dobson ended a CSU scoring drought of over three minutes as she connected on a trifecta to trim UNC Asheville's lead to 32-26. The Bulldogs held a 37-33 advantage at halftime.
Asheville picked up the tempo in the third quarter as the Bulldogs used a 13-4 run to create separation from the Bucs. Khalia Webb's layup put the Bulldogs ahead 50-39 with 5:21 left in the period. The Bucs continued to chip away at the lead and cut the margin to 50-44 on a Burns free throw. UNC Asheville proved to be too strong down low as the Bulldogs powered their way to a 57-48 lead at the end of the third stanza.
Fitzgerald's layup put Asheville ahead 66-52 with 5:06 remaining in the contest. CSU couldn't pull any closer than 12 points in the closing minutes as the Bulldogs relied on steady shooting to secure the win.
Webb led UNC Asheville with 20 points, while Jessica Wall had 17 points and Fitzgerald added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Highlights
Inside the Numbers
- Shelby Wilbanks has now scored 16 points in two of the last three games.
- The Big South's leading shot-blocker, Weknyne Dumorne doubled UNC Asheville's team block total with a game-high four blocked shots.
- After being held to two assists in the their last game against Gardner-Webb, CSU bounced back behind Shauntavia Dobson's team-high three dimes to crack double-digits for the 12th time this season.
- Charleston Southern continued to shoot well from the charity stripe, going 75.0% (15-of-20) from the free throw line.
- A tight battle on the boards had UNC Asheville with a narrow 38-37 rebounding advantage.
News and Notes
- CSU has dropped five of its last six Big South contests.
- The Bucs fall to 6-4 at the Buc Dome.
- Charleston Southern made the least amount of three-pointers (4) since only connecting on three trifectas against Campbell on January 9.
- UNC Asheville's 78 points ties the mark for the most points CSU has allowed this season. Georgia Tech also scored 78 points against the Bucs on December 19.
Up Next
CSU returns to action when it hosts High Point on Saturday at 3 p.m.