CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern is back in action this Saturday afternoon as the Buccaneers welcome the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to the Buc Dome in the post-Thanksgiving matchup. Tipoff between CSU and UND is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN+.
CSU WBB Game Notes - vs. North Dakota
The Bucs (0-4) have struggled to find traction in the early part of the 2019-20 season. CSU fell on the road to Florida State and North Carolina, while dropping a pair of contests to MEAC opponents South Carolina State and Bethune-Cookman.
CSU is hoping its lone game against a Summit League opponent will help continue to build experience and confidence as the Bucs are less than a month away from entering conference competition. CSU has placed six newcomers to the program on the floor so far this season, while injuries have limited the veterans on the court.
The experience gained early in the contests has helped several players shine with
Carmella Walker and
Sharita Godfrey both sitting among the team leaders in the 2019 portion of the schedule. Godfrey leads the way with 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game attacking primarily from the wing, while Walker's ball-handling and slashing into the lane have led to 10.0 points per game and seven steals on the season.
Continuing the trend of newcomers earning valuable playing time, freshman
Tori Gittens sits among the team leaders with four three-pointers made early on the season, while
Sha'Mya Leigh has started all five games and sits among the team leaders with six assists.
CSU is in the midst of a favorable part of the schedule with four of their next five games coming at home. Only two of their next five opponents boast winning records as North Dakota (5-2) and College of Charleston (4-3) both hold above .500 marks at this point of the season. Their lone road game during the stretch comes at Western Carolina (1-8), while CSU will also host home games against non-Division I opponents Virginia Lynchburg (N/A) and Columbia (S.C.) (1-4).
The Bucs continue to be one of the least penalized teams in the NCAA this season. CSU enters Saturday's game sitting 19th in the Division I standings for fewest fouls issued this season through their first four games (63), while also sitting 57th out of 348 ranked teams in fewest turnovers (70).
North Dakota is in the midst of one of their longest road trips of the season. The Fighting Hawks travel to S.C. State on Friday, November 29, CSU (Nov. 30) and Southern Methodist University (Dec. 9), before returning home to Grand Forks, N.D. on December 18 against Mayville State.
UND has posted several impressive wins early in the season as the Fighting Hawks put together an early season four-game winning streak. UND topped Grand Canyon in overtime (78-76), Rhode Island (67-61), Valparaiso (65-63), and Georgia Southern (69-56), before falling at home to Illinois State last week.
Jaclyn Jarnot leads the Fighting Hawks offensive efforts on the season with 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Julia Fleecs is also averaging double-digits at 10.3 points per game, while Melissa Leet adds a tough interior presence with 8.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while adding 24 total blocks on the year.
North Dakota was picked sixth overall in the Summit League preseason women's basketball poll. The Fighting Hawks received 213 points overall in head coach Travis Brewster's eighth season at the helm. Brewster, a 1994 CSU alum, is making his first trip back to the Buc Dome as the head coach. He was a two-time defensive MVP and team captain in 1993 at CSU.
Up Next
Charleston Southern makes their final road trip prior to the Christmas holidays on Wednesday, December 4, as the Buccaneers travel to Cullowee, N.C. for a midweek matchup at Western Carolina. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Catamounts is set for 7 p.m. in the Ramsey Center.
