HAMPTON, Va. - Sharita Godfrey hit the go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds left as Charleston Southern rallied past the host Hampton Pirates, 49-47, in the Big South Conference opener for both institutions on Monday afternoon.

In a game that saw neither team build more than a four-point lead in the contest, it figured to come down to a last-second shot. With the Bucs (3-2, 1-0 Big South) trailing 47-46, Sha'Mya Leigh fouled Hampton's (0-3, 0-1 Big South) Victoria Mason and sent her to the line with 15 seconds remaining.
 
Mason missed both offerings allowing Godfrey to secure the defensive rebound. A quick CSU timeout advanced the ball and set the stage for the Bucs' final possession. Godfrey came off Alyssia Faye's screen and spotted up on the left wing for her third three-pointer of the game and secured the conference-opening win for the Bucs.
 
Godfrey paced the Bucs with a season-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a 3-of-5 mark from behind the three-point line. Carmella Walker carried the Bucs early in the second half and finished with 13 points. and six rebounds, while Sha'Mya Leigh added 10 points. and two blocked shots in the win. 
 
Hampton's Nylah Young paced all scorers with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Mason chipped in nine rebounds and five assists in the loss.
 

Here's the final 3-ball from @sharita_godfrey from both angles as the junior guard hit nothing but the bottom of the net for the game-winner on Monday afternoon at Hampton#BucsWin | #builtBUCtough pic.twitter.com/KApnAB9xSx

— CSU Women's Basketball (@CSUBucsWBB) December 21, 2020

 
First Quarter
Following a Nylah Young jumper to open the scoring, Janaia Fargo and Leigh swung the scoring back to CSU as the Bucs took the 4-2 lead with 7:54 remaining in the first quarter. Hampton would control the low-scoring opening quarter with the Pirates closing out the frame on an 8-2 run highlighted by Heaven Accimeus' three-pointer at the 1:19 mark. The Bucs were limited to 3-of-16 shooting from the floor in the quarter, but CSU forced five Hampton turnovers to keep margin close at the break.
 
Second Quarter
The Bucs were back on track in the second quarter courtesy of a 5-for-5 team performance from the free throw line as CSU went into the half trailing 23-20. Tori Gittens, Jamya Rogers, and Walker hit consecutive baskets to start the Bucs' scoring in the quarter as CSU went up 12-10 with 7:37 remaining in the half. The Bucs kept the game within striking distance throughout the quarter with Walker's free throw at the 1:19 mark tying the contest up at 20-20. Davis hit a three-pointer with 1:01 remaining in the quarter to give Hampton the three-point edge at the half.
 
Third Quarter
Walker started the third quarter off with a personal 5-0 run against the Pirates and Leigh chipped in a layup at the 7:47 mark as the Bucs scored seven straight points on their way to building the 27-23 lead. Walker and Leigh held the monopoly on CSU's scoring in the quarter before Makenna Winans converted a pair of free throws with 59 seconds remaining in the quarter to tie the game up at 33-33. Alexis Wooten hit a pair of late free throws for the Pirates as Hampton clung to the two-point edge heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Bucs mounted another strong run at the start of the fourth quarter as Godfrey and Walker gave CSU an 8-2 run in building the 41-37 lead with 7:03 remaining. The Pirates answered CSU's run on their way to taking the 47-45 lead following Young's layup at the 32-second mark. Leigh connected on one of two free throws, setting the stage for Godfrey's late-game heroics.
 
CSU Key Players

• Sharita Godfrey – 15 points, 5-of-8 shooting, 3-of-5 3PT, 2-of-2 FT, seven rebounds
• Carmella Walker – 13 points, 5-of-12 shooting, 2-of-2 FT, six rebounds, one assist
• Sha'Mya Leigh – 10 points, 2-of-7 shooting, 6-of-9 FT, four rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots
• Alyssia Faye – Three points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots
• Jamya Rogers – Two points, seven rebounds, one assist

Team Statistics of Note

• Charleston Southern overcame shooting a season-worst 30.8% (16-of-52) from the floor and 23.8% (5-of-21) from the three-point line thanks to a strong performance from the free throw line (12-of-15).
• The Bucs connected on four of their five three-pointers in the decisive fourth quarter with Godfrey (3) and Walker connecting from deep down the stretch.
• Hampton out9rebounded CSU 54-38, but the Bucs held the edge on points in the paint, 18-14.
• The Bucs forced just nine Hampton turnovers in the game and converted them to eight points.
• The game featured 15 ties overall with the Bucs tying the contest up on 11 different occasions on Monday.

News & Notes

• The Bucs ran out the starting lineup of Godfrey, Faye, Walker, Leigh, and Fargo for the fifth time in the 2020-21 season.
• Leigh has reached double-digits scoring in four of the five CSU games played in the season.
• Godfrey's 15 points were a season-high for the junior guard.
• CSU tied the all-time series with the Pirates at 3-3 with the win, snapping a two-game Hampton winning streak.
• The win was also Coach Applin's second win in the series.
• Monday started the first of the two-game series against the Pirates as all Big South series will be held over two-day segments over the 2020-21 season.

Up Next
Charleston Southern closes out the series against the Pirates tomorrow afternoon with tipoff set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ inside the Hampton Convocation Center.