Bucs Fall to East Carolina in Season Opener - Charleston Southern University

Tuesday, November 3

Greenville, N.C. / Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum

11:00 AM

Charleston Southern University Athletics

0-1,0-0Big South

East Carolina

1-0,0-0American

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Charleston So.	15	9	3	18	45
East Carolina	19	15	19	8	61

Photo by: Joshua Street/CSU Sports

11/3/2026 1:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

The Basics
Score: Charleston Southern 45 – East Carolina 61
Record: CSU (0-1) – ECU (1-0)
Location: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Charleston Southern women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 campaign Tuesday morning, falling 61-45 to East Carolina inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Head Coach Tim Hays' debut at the helm of the Buccaneers.

Sophomore Celina Vilcinskas led Charleston Southern with 10 points and five rebounds, while Anica Škrivan added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. Ashleigh Battle and Selenay Tanik each contributed seven points in the setback.

East Carolina jumped out to an early advantage, connecting on four three-pointers in the opening quarter to take a 19-15 lead after 10 minutes. Charleston Southern responded early in the second, cutting the deficit to two points behind baskets from Vilcinskas and Lauren Cummings. However, the Pirates answered with timely perimeter shooting and defensive pressure, holding CSU to nine points in the period and carrying a 34-24 advantage into halftime.

The Pirates continued to create separation coming out of the break, outscoring the Buccaneers 19-3 in the third quarter to build a 53-27 lead entering the final frame. Charleston Southern found its offensive rhythm in the fourth, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and outscoring East Carolina 18-8 over the final 10 minutes. Despite the late push, the early deficit proved too much to overcome as ECU secured the 61-45 victory.

Box Score Highlights
Charleston Southern Individuals:

Celina Vilcinskas: 10 points, 5 rebounds
Anica Škrivan: 8 points, 7 rebounds
Ashleigh Battle: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Selenay Tanik: 7 points, 4 rebounds

East Carolina Individuals:

Tuana Coskun: 16 points, 4 three-pointers
Jayla Hearp: 11 points, 3 assists
Tristan Rickenbacker: 8 points, 6 rebounds

Team Stats
Charleston Southern finished 32.7 percent (16-of-49) from the field and 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from beyond the arc while converting 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) at the free-throw line. East Carolina shot 31.3 percent (20-of-64) overall and 25.7 percent (9-of-35) from three. The Pirates held a narrow 42-41 rebounding advantage, while the Buccaneers outscored ECU 28-18 in the paint. East Carolina capitalized on 27 CSU turnovers for 23 points and held an 18-2 advantage in fast-break scoring.

Key Stats & Notes

Vilcinskas led the Buccaneers in scoring in her CSU debut, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
Škrivan provided a spark off the bench with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Battle finished with seven points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists while logging a team-high 38 minutes.
Tanik added seven points and four rebounds, connecting on one of CSU's two three-pointers.
Charleston Southern held a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint and outscored East Carolina 20-16 in bench points.
The Buccaneers outscored the Pirates 18-8 in the fourth quarter, holding ECU to 13.3 percent shooting from the field in the final period.
Tuesday's contest marked the first game of the Tim Hays era at Charleston Southern.

Up Next
Charleston Southern will continue its 2026-27 nonconference schedule Saturday, November 7 as they take on crosstown rival College of Charleston at TD Arena.

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