CHARLESTON S.C. – The Charleston Southern women's basketball team got over .500 in Big South play on Saturday with a 57-52 win over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs inside the Buc Dome.  This snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Buccaneers against the Bulldogs.
 
Catherine Alben led the Buccaneers (8-12, 4-3 in conference) with 18 points along with a season-high eight rebounds. Saniya Jones also had a career high with 12 points and was 5/6 from the field, while Keshunti Nichols added 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
After the Bulldogs (2-18, 0-7 in conference) made the first basket of the second quarter, the Buccaneers did not allow a point until the 5:31 mark of the first half. It was the only basket for the Bulldogs during a 13-3 run for Charleston Southern. The Buccaneers took their largest lead of the half, when Alben made a layup to make it an 11-point game at 31-20 with 2:58 left in the second quarter.
 
In the third quarter, the Buccaneers allowed for the Bulldogs to get back into the game, UNC Asheville fought back and took a 37-36 lead with 3:19 left in the third period. Charleston Southern was just 4/12 in the third quarter and were outscored 17-12.
 
Charleston Southern found their rhythm in the final quarter, extending their lead back to 10 points as part of a 12-2 run, when they took a 51-41 lead with 6:59 left in the game. After that, the Buccaneers went scoreless for over four minutes and allowed the Bulldogs to cut the deficit to three points with 2:51 left in the game.
 
The Buccaneers struggled to shoot from long range, shooting just 2/22 on the afternoon. They were able to pull down 45 rebounds, including 22 offensive boards, which led to 21 second-chance points. Both teams shot 35.0% from the field, while the Buccaneers forced 18 Bulldog turnovers.
 
Up Next
The Buccaneers will stay home this week, as they host the USC Upstate Spartans on Wednesday night at 6:00 PM. They will look to extend their winning streak to three games, which would be their longest streak of the season.