CHARLESTON, S.C. - It's back to Big South women's basketball play for Charleston Southern on Thursday night as the Buccaneers make the trip to Farmville, Va. and Willett Hall for a conference showdown against Longwood. Tipoff between the Bucs and the Lancers is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Bucs (2-10, 0-3 Big South) are looking to make headway as the calendar turned toward conference play as the New Year hit. CSU fell in their first three conference games, but saw positives from the young roster with the return of senior forward Tierra Steede.

Steede made an immediate impact on the roster when she returned to the court in December, posting a career-high in points, while adding her first collegiate double-double on New Year's Eve against Gardner-Webb. The Marietta, Ga. native paces CSU with 13.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds over the last five games, while adding a team-high seven blocked shots over the span.

The Bucs have also been bolstered by the strong play of newcomer Carmella Walker this season as the junior college transfer has started all 12 games at the guard position. Walker is second on the Bucs with 10.3 points per game, while leading CSU and sitting tied for third in the Big South with 2.3 steals per game. Walker is also among the conference leaders in free throw percentage converting at a 78.2% (43-of-55) clip.

Sharita Godfrey is also looking to continue her early season hot-streak as the sophomore wing sits third on the team with 9.2 points per game. Since transitioning to the sixth-man role, the Columbia, S.C. native continues to be a steady force on the glass sitting second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, while adding 10 three-pointers and 21 steals on the season.

The guard duo of Sha'Mya Leigh and Ahlea Myers have provided a nice one-two punch for the Bucs on the court this season with both players leading the team with 27 assists apiece. Leigh has been adept at finding her way to the free throw line on the year, while posting 5.8 points per game, while Myers' outside shooting ability was showcased in her 16-point performance on the road against USC Upstate.

The Bucs continue their stretch of Big South play on the road this week as three of CSU's first four conference games come away from the Buc Dome, and five of their first eight are away from Charleston. CSU is back at home on Saturday against High Point, before making road trips to UNC Asheville (Jan. 14) and Campbell (Jan. 21) around a home contest against Hampton (Jan. 18).

CSU's trip to Farmville features a matchup between two teams picked closely in the conference's preseason standings. The Bucs were picked ninth overall in the poll with 32 total votes, while Longwood was picked 10th with 26. The Lancers did place one player on the preseason All-Conference team as senior forward Dayna Rouse earned a place on the conference's First Team.

Rouse is coming off a strong week on her way to earning the Big South's Player of the Week recognition after her performances in Longwood's wins over Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian. She averaged 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over the two games, including a 26-point, nine-rebound game in the 80-70 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs.

She is currently second on the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game, trailing only the reigning Big South Freshman of the Week, Kyla McMakin. McMakin averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals over the Lancers two wins last week and leads Longwood with 16.1 points per game.

Longwood suffered its first loss in conference play on Monday night as the Lancers fell at home to the visiting Campbell Camels, 70-55, to fall to 6-6, 2-1 in Big South play on the season. The Lancers had previously topped the aforementioned Gardner-Webb and PC in their first two Big South games.

The Buccaneers have won each of the last 10 contests against the Lancers dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season. The Bucs picked up both wins over Longwood last season with an 81-74 victory in Farmville back on January 12, 2019, while topping the Lancers in the rematch on March 9, 79-67.

CSU and Longwood will play again on Saturday, March 7, in the regular season finale for both squads. It will also double as the Bucs' Senior Day in their final tune-up prior to the conference tournament.

Up Next
CSU is home on Saturday, January 11, as the Buccaneers take part in a Big South doubleheader in the Buccaneer Field House. The women's team will host High Point with tipoff set for 3 p.m., while the men's game will feature CSU and UNC Asheville at 5:30 p.m.