Sestan Shines with 25 Points as Buccaneers Fall in Close Battle at Mercer

Wednesday, November 11

Macon, GA / Hawkins Arena

7:00 PM

Charleston Southern University Athletics

0-3,0-0Big South

Mercer

3-1,0-0SoCon

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Charleston So.	20	11	9	5	45
Mercer	13	17	14	10	54

Photo by: Joshua Street/CSU Sports

11/11/2026 9:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

The Basics
Score: Charleston Southern 45 – Mercer 54
Record: CSU (0-3) – MER (3-1)
Location: Hawkins Arena

MACON, Ga. – Despite a standout performance from freshman Zara Sestan, the Charleston Southern women's basketball team came up short against Mercer on Wednesday evening, falling 54-45 inside Hawkins Arena.

Sestan delivered an impressive performance in just her second collegiate game, pouring in a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers on eight attempts. The freshman guard also added five rebounds, six steals and eight turnovers forced by her defensive pressure, finishing with more than half of the Buccaneers' total points.

Charleston Southern came out firing in the opening quarter, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and building a 20-13 advantage after the first 10 minutes. Sestan led the early charge with 12 first-quarter points, connecting on all five of her field goal attempts, including a pair of three-pointers. The Buccaneers stretched their lead to as many as 10 points late in the period, with Sestan providing an immediate spark on both ends of the floor.

The Buccaneers maintained their advantage throughout the second quarter, with Sestan adding five more points to reach 17 by halftime. Mercer responded with a late push, using a 9-2 run to trim CSU's lead to 31-30 heading into the break.

Mercer gained momentum in the second half, outscoring Charleston Southern 14-9 in the third quarter to take a 44-40 advantage into the final period. The Bears continued to apply pressure defensively, limiting the Buccaneers to five fourth-quarter points while extending their lead to nine down the stretch.

Box Score Highlights
Charleston Southern Individuals:

Zara Sestan: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 3FG
Iva Medugorac: 5 points, 3 rebounds
Lauren Cummings: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
Selenay Tanik: 3 points, 4 rebounds

Mercer Individuals:

Abigail Holtman: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals
Ada Anamekwe: 14 points, 6 rebounds
Micah O'Dell: 11 points, 3 3FG

Team Stats
Charleston Southern finished shooting 37.8 percent (17-of-45) from the field and 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc, while Mercer shot 33.3 percent (16-of-48) overall and 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from three-point range. The Bears held a 35-27 advantage on the glass and converted 15-of-17 free throws compared to CSU's 5-of-9 effort. Mercer capitalized on Buccaneer turnovers, scoring 20 points off 26 CSU giveaways.

Key Stats & Notes

Freshman Zara Sestan recorded a game-high 25 points, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three-point range.
Sestan scored 12 points in the first quarter without missing a field goal, finishing the opening period 5-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Sestan accounted for 25 of Charleston Southern's 45 points, scoring 55.6 percent of the Buccaneers' total offense.
The Buccaneers led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter and held a 31-30 advantage at halftime.
Charleston Southern held a 20-13 lead after the opening quarter, shooting 52.9 percent from the field.
The Buccaneers finished with 12 steals and held an 18-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Up Next
Charleston Southern continues the 2026-27 season Saturday, November 14 at Pitt. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. on ACCNX.

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