NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Southern women's basketball team dropped their first conference game of the season on Saturday, falling to the Longwood Lancers at home by a score of 66-57.
 
Kennedi Jackson led the Bucs (4-11, 1-1 in conference) with 21 points, and Catherine Alben had 13 points of her own. Shimei Muhammad led the team with eight rebounds on the afternoon, and Charleston Southern forced 22 turnovers while giving the ball away 18 times.
 
In a low-scoring first half, the Bucs found themselves behind 15-14 entering the second quarter. Neither team led by more than five points in the opening half, as the Lancers (3-11, 1-1 in conference) took a 22-17 lead on a steal and layup the other way with 2:58 left in the second quarter. The Bucs tied the game on a three pointer by Alba Garcia, but the Lancers quickly responded with a layup and the foul to take a 25-22 lead into the locker room.
 
The Bucs fought to come back in the game, cutting the lead to one point multiple times, but the Lancers went on a run and stretched their lead to as much as 11 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Longwood continued to stretch their lead, as it got to as much as 16 points when they hit a jump shot with 4:12 left to take a 56-40 lead.
 
Charleston Southern continued to fight back, cutting the deficit to single digits multiple times with Maya Robinson scoring on two-straight possessions, but Longwood was able to prevail with a nine-point win.
 
Both teams were similar in the rebounding category, as the Lancers had 36 compared to the Bucs 35;however, the Bucs were able to pull down 16 offensive rebounds leading to 11 second-chance points.
 
Next Up
Charleston Southern will stay at home this week, as they welcome Gardner-Webb to town on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. battle at the Buc Dome. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, as the Bucs look to get back in the win column.