CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's basketball team (3-17, 1-6 Big South) dropped a tight contest 77-73 to Charleston Southern on Friday night (Jan. 23) at the Templeton Center.
Both teams traded leads from one another throughout the game. There were 14 ties and 16 lead changes over the course of the contest. The Blue Hose fought all night and tied the game at 65 apiece with under four minutes to play before the Buccaneers used an 8-2 run to inch away from PC in the end. In a high-scoring affair, Charleston Southern shot 60.0 percent from the field for the game. The Buccaneers went 6-of-12 from the three-point line and made 17 of their 23 free throws as well.
Ja'Cia Cunningham paced Presbyterian offensively once again, scoring 22 points. She made 6 of her 8 free throw attempts while pouring in two threes. Krystal Haddock delivered a monster performance against the Buccaneers, recording 16 points to go along with 14 rebounds. She had 12 offensive rebounds on the night, good for the most in program history since the team moved up Division I in 2007. She also logged PC's lone blocked shot of the game.
Aminata Tal poured in 15 points for the Blue Hose. She also posted five steals as well. As a team, Presbyterian won the turnover battle decisively, outscoring Charleston Southern 25-4 off of turnovers. The Blue Hose forced 18 Buccaneer turnovers for the evening compared to PC's 10.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH TIFFANY SARDIN
"I thought we played pretty hard for the most part. I thought we did a really good job rebounding the ball on the offensive glass. Krystal had 12 offensive boards, which was huge for her, but that's been our emphasis from start to finish. Defensively, we just have to be able to defend people. I think we've given up too many points, and we certainly can't allow the other team to come in here and shoot that high of a percentage on our home floor. We have to continue to grow defensively and get better immediately to give ourselves a chance. Right now, we're giving up too many points, and we certainly can't allow their bench to come in and score the way they did. So, we got to be much better all around defensively."
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The game was a back-and-forth affair for all 40 minutes of the contest. The Blue Hose opened with a 5-2 lead after a three from Aminata Tal. Charleston Southern went on an 8-2 run to retake the lead before Ore Ogunwolere drilled a three to put PC ahead 10-9 halfway through the opening period. A layup from Tal got the Blue Hose up 5, but another run by Charleston Southern gave the Buccaneers a narrow 18-17 advantage after the first quarter. Through 10 minutes, PC had 10 more shot attempts as a team than the Buccaneers.
Second Quarter
Charleston Southern opened up a five-point lead before the Blue Hose settled into the second quarter. PC tied the proceedings at 22, but the Buccaneers maintained their advantage for much of the rest of the quarter. Down by five, Cunningham scored five straight points to tie the game with three minutes to play in the half. Two free throws by Allie Sykes gave PC the lead, but Charleston Southern closed strong to grab a 40-37 lead at the break. The Buccaneers shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the floor going into halftime.
Third Quarter
A quick 5-0 burst out of the half gave the Blue Hose a 42-40 lead to start the third quarter. Charleston Southern responded again to take the lead, but Presbyterian stayed in the fight. A three-point play from Krystal Haddock put PC back up 49-48 with a minute to play in the period. Daniella Velez finished the quarter on fire, scoring five points to tie the game at 53 going into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Both teams continued to go back and forth in the final period. The Buccaneers led by three before a layup from Ogunwolere got PC back within one down 60-59. The Buccaneers followed with a three, but the Blue Hose responded with a three of their own once again to stay in it. Haddock scored off an offensive rebound to tie the game at 65 with under four minutes remaining. However, the Buccaneers embarked on an 8-2 run to grab control of the game. Two free throws by Cunningham got PC within two down 69-67 with 2:16 left, but the effort was not enough. In the end, the Buccaneers held on for a 77-73 win in Clinton over the Blue Hose.
TEAM STATS
- Krystal Haddock shattered her career-high on the glass, grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds.
- Her 12 offensive rebounds are the most by a PC player since the team moved up to DI in 2007.
- Haddock recorded her first career double-double and the first of the season for any player for the Blue Hose. Her 16 points are the second-highest of her collegiate career.
- Ja'Cia Cunningham scored at least 20 points for the third time this season and the second time in three games. She has scored in double figures 11 times this year.
- Aminata Tal scored in double figures for the ninth time this year. She also recorded a career-high five steals.
UP NEXT
Presbyterian will be on the road for both games next week, starting off at Winthrop on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
