Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) had a game-high 21 points and was one of two players for the Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team (3-3) who had career-highs as the Lady Chants cruised to a 75-43 win over Savannah State University (2-7) Dec. 16 in Conway, S.C. Coastal had a 42-15 halftime advantage and held the Tigers to just 30.2 percent from the field.

Coastal jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes and never looked back. Turner had six of those points with Savannah State finally scoring at 16:30 on a Nicole Hunter layup. The Tigers cut it to 13-6 at 15:13, but the lead expanded to 17 at 11:53 on a layup from sophomore Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills). Coastal led by as many as 28 in the first half and went to the lockerroom up 42-15.

Turner had 14 first-half points, while classmate Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) added eight. Senior Courtney Brown (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) had six rebounds. The Lady Chanticleer defense was stifling, holding the Tigers to 24 percent from the field.

When Turner hit a layup at 18:16, the lead was up to 30 at 48-18. Savannah State cut the lead to 18 at the nine-minute mark on a jumper from Caroline Moore, but Coastal got the advantage back to 28 with 3:22 left on a Brown layup. Coastal was 10-of-22 from the field in the second half and hit 11 free throws.

Turner went 10-of-16 from the field and had three blocked shots. Laug had a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. Junior Amber Rose (Bloomington Springs, Tenn./Upperman) had a season high with 12 points and dished off five assists. Brown had a season high 11 rebounds to go with six points and three assists.

Coastal was 26-of-55 from the field for 47.3 percent. The Lady Chants also got to the line 24 times, connecting on 18 of those chances. CCU also converted on Savannah State mistakes, scoring 28 points off of turnovers.

Kermetris Hill led the Tigers with 14 points, while Moore added 11 rebounds.

Coastal will compete in the Carolina’s Women’s Challenge Sunday, Dec. 19, against the College of Charleston. Game time is at 1 p.m. That game is followed by the North Carolina-Georgia State game at 3:30 p.m.