CHARLESTON, S.C. - Presbyterian took advantage of a double-digit run that spanned the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter and held off a late Buccaneer rally as Charleston Southern fell in the series opener to the Blue Hose, 62-51.
 
Sharita Godfrey paced the Bucs (4-3, 2-1 Big South) with 13 points in the contest as CSU kept the Blue Hose within striking distance throughout a majority of the game. A Godfrey three-pointer at the 1:26 mark narrowed the Blue Hose lead down to 57-51 before PC (4-3, 3-2 Big South) closed out the game from the free throw line. 
 
Jamya Rogers recorded her first double-digit scoring effort of the season off the bench with 11 points, while Carmella Walker filled the statistics sheet with10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the loss. 
 
Maleia Bracone paced all scorers with 16 points and added four assists. Tionna Carter added 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Nyah Willis chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds in the conference win.  
 
First Quarter 
Alyssia Faye opened the scoring with a layup and Carmella Walker spotted up with a three-pointer from the corner to stake the Bucs to the early 5-0 lead. Presbyterian rallied back with Nyah Willis, Tionna Carter, and Maleia Bracone all scoring to cut the CSU lead down to 7-6. Sharita Godfrey and Sha'Mya Leigh hit back-to-back three-pointers from the left corner to push the Bucs' lead to 13-8 at the 3:41 mark, but PC closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run on their way to having the 18-15 lead at the break.
 
Second Quarter The Blue Hose scored the first seven points of the second quarter to stretch the lead to double-digits at 25-15 with 6:10 remaining in the first half. Jamya Rogers drove in for the layup to snap the Bucs' scoreless stretch on her way to scoring a team-high seven points in the quarter. Makenna Winans cut the PC lead down to 28-23 with 3:32 remaining in the half with a three-pointer from the top of the key and Walker connected on her second shot from behind the arc at the 1:45 mark to narrow the gap to 32-28.  
 
Third Quarter Following a Carter jumper, the Bucs went on an 8-2 run early in the third quarter to tie the game up at 36-36 following a Walker layup. The Blue Hose utilized the inside game in the frame with Trinity Johnson, Tess Santos, Bracone, and Jade Compton all recording layups over the final 4:35 to offset baskets from CSU's Winans and Godfrey to hold onto the 44-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter. 
 
Fourth Quarter CSU cut the PC lead down to two points at the 6:10 mark as Rogers followed a Godfrey jumper from the corner with a pair of free throws to put the score at 48-46. The Blue Hose responded with a 9-2 run punctuated by a Carter layup at the 1:46 mark to give PC the 57-48 lead. Godfrey added a three-pointer to narrow the PC lead back to within two possessions, but the Blue Hose took advantage from the free throw line over the final 38.3 on their way to securing the conference win. 
 
CSU Key Players 

• Sharita Godfrey – 13 points, 5-of-11 shooting, 2-of-6 3PT, two rebounds, two assists 
• Jamya Rogers – 11 points, 4-of-6 shooting, 3-of-4 FT, four rebounds, two steals 
• Carmella Walker – 10 points, 4-of-9 shooting, 2-of-3 3PT, five rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots 
• Alyssia Faye – Six points, eight rebounds  

Team Statistics of Note

• Charleston Southern shot 38.0% (19-of-50) from the floor in the contest and 43.8% (7-of-16) from the three-point line in the loss.
• The Bucs were also 6-of-7 (83.3%) from the free throw line as a team with Jamya Rogers (3-of-4) pacing the way from the stripe.
• Presbyterian shot 42.6% (23-of-54) from the floor and 23.5% (4-of-17) from the three-point line in the win.
• PC held the 38-18 advantage on points in the paint and 28-15 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Blue Hose also held the 16-4 edge in fast-break points, aided in part by 21 CSU turnovers.
• The rebounding battle was close with PC taking the 34-30 margin.

News & Notes 

• Charleston Southern ran out the starting lineup of Fargo, Leigh, Godfrey, Faye, and Walker for the fifth time in the 2020-21 season with the group moving their record to 3-3 as a group. 
• Makenna Winans hit her first three-pointer of the game to run her streak to five consecutive makes behind the arc, before a miss late in the second quarter snapped the streak dating back to the second game of the Hampton series on December 22. 
• CSU falls to 13-16 in the all-time series against the Blue Hose. 
• Godfrey posted the 14th double-digit scoring game of her collegiate career and third of the season.
• Jamya Rogers reached double-digits for the first time with the Buccaneers on Monday evening.
• Carmella Walker tied Sha'Mya Leigh with her fourth 10-point game of the year.
• CSU's seven three-pointers made it two games in a row for the Bucs with seven or more three's in a game.
• The Bucs' 21 turnovers marked just the second time CSU has coughed it up 20 times or more on the year.
• Walker's three blocked shots marked a career-high for the senior guard.

Up Next
Charleston Southern and Presbyterian are back at it tomorrow night as the Bucs take on the Blue Hose in the Buccaneer Field House. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN3.