CLINTON, S.C. – Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) scored a
season-high 19 points and the Presbyterian College women's basketball team set
a new program record for margin of victory in a Big South Conference game as
the Blue Hose handled Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon, 50-30.
PC (7-6, 2-0 Big South) held Coastal Carolina (6-6, 1-1 Big
South) to 19.6 percent shooting on the day (11-for-56) as the Blue Hose move to
2-0 in Big South action for the first time in school history. The Blue Hose
next battle Liberty on the road on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Chanticleers' 30 points also marked the fewest for a Big
South opponent in PC history.
Taylor tied a season-best by going 5-for-7 from behind the three-point arc while
Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) poured in 13 points. Mariah Pietrowski
(Elizabethton, Tenn.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and Dria David
(Lawrenceville, Ga.) added six points and six rebounds.
Coastal's Kayla Cook and Alexx Puckett each scored 10
points.
The Blue Hose defense impressed all afternoon, beginning by
holding the Chanticleers to 12 points in the first half, the fewest by a PC
opponent this season. PC allowed only six field goals in the opening period,
allowing the home side to keep a several-possession lead despite a scoreless
drought that stretched over 10 minutes.
The Chanticleers never led during the game and did not score
until the 15:47 mark of the first half. A Burnside jumper with 12:37 before
halftime gave PC an 11-4 advantage, but Coastal clawed to within three shortly
before the break. Burnside then converted a basket inside to give PC five points
of breathing room heading into halftime, 17-12.
The second half played out much like the first, as the Blue Hose
shot 45.8 percent from the floor (11-for-24) and limited the visitors to only
five field goals the rest of the way.
Taylor tallied 13 of her points in the second half, knocking
down three treys. Coastal narrowed the gap to three points early in the frame before a 21-10 PC run over the next 11:09 put the Blue Hose firmly in control.
Megan Schaaf (Ellicott City, Md.) sunk a free throw with
1:10 remaining to give the home side its largest lead and move the score to its
final tally, 50-30.
Saturday's game also marked the 100th career
contest for Chelsea Parker (Asheville, N.C.).
