CCU

Women's Basketball Survives Charleston Southern Comeback for 73-66 Win

       

Women's Basketball Survives Charleston Southern Comeback for 73-66 Win

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CONWAY, S.C. – Senior Vicky Blanchard (Eutawville, S.C./Holly Hill-Roberts) had 24 points, 22 of them in the first half, and sophomore Lacey Lyons (Beverly Hills, Fla./Crystal River) hit three big three-pointers in the second half as the Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team (14-6, 2-3 Big South) staved off a Charleston Southern (716, 2-4 Big South) rally in a 73-66 win Feb. 5 in Kimbel Arena.   Blanchard was 8-of-11 from the field, a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the line in the first half. After Charleston Southern had an 11-3 lead at 17:31 on a Natalie Caldwell three, Coastal went on a 16-2 run over the next 3:03, capped off by two Lyons free throws. Both teams kept up the torrid scoring pace, as Coastal left 25-19 with 10:48 left in the first half. Pam Tolbert’s old-fashion three-point play made it 27-25 Coastal, but an 18-5 CCU run over the last 5:44 was fueled by 16 points from Blanchard. She hit two three-pointers in that stretch and made two free throws with one second left to give Coastal a 45-30 halftime lead.   Blanchard already eclipsed her career high in the first half, while Lyons added eight points. Lyons and freshman Sydnei Moss (North Augusta, S.C./North Augusta) had three assists apiece, while sophomore Devin Rivers (Miami, Fla./Felix Varela) had five rebounds. For Charleston Southern, Shaunte Small had 11 points, with Tolbert adding eight.   Coastal led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but Charleston Southern would cut it to 53-30 with 10:23 left on a Tolbert three. The lead would shrink to 55-54, but a jumper from freshman Kate Jasinksi (Toledo, Ohio/Penn (Ind.)) at 8:45 made it 59-56. Lyons’ layup at 8:17 pushed the lead to five, but a Caldwell jumper at 4:23 made it 62-61 Coastal. Moss came back with a layup at 3:54, but Crystal Robinson’s free throws made it a one-point lead. Lyons hit her first of three three pointers at 2:40, and after a Robinson layup, made another big three to give Coastal a 70-65 lead at 2:08. With 1:25 left, Robinson hit 1-of-2 free throws to cut Coastal’s lead to 70-66, but Lyons came up big again wtih a three, giving the Lady Chants the final 73-66 margin.   Blanchard ended the game with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Lyons had 19 points on five three-pointers. Rivers had 10 rebounds, while Lyons and Moss added four assists.   Charleston Southern had three players in double figures, led by Caldwell’s 18. Tolbert had 16, while Small chipped in with 11.   Coastal shot 38.1 percent from the field, but were 10-of-21 from three-point range. Coastal also was 15-of-19 from the free-throw line and had a 42-38 rebounding edge. Charleston Southern was 39 percent from the field and 15-of-22 from the free-throw line.   Coastal wraps up the first half of the Big South schedule Saturday, Feb. 9 at High Piont. The game will start at 5 p.m.