Women fall to Charleston Southern

The UNCG Women's Basketball team went into action on Tuesday night trying to snap a four game losing streak against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. The Spartans came into the game with a record of 1-4, with their only win coming against Morgan State. Charleston Southern came into the game with a record of 3-3, having lost their last game against North Carolina.

The Buccaneers started the game off strong taking a 9-4 lead early, while the Spartans struggled to knock down open shots. The two teams played a fairly sloppy game as well, with both teams combining for seven turnovers in the first five minutes. The Spartans seemed set on trying to establish their game down low, as junior center Agne Girstautaite had four of UNCG's first eight points. After the slow start, the Spartans went on a 6-0 run to take a 10-9 lead midway through the first half.

Despite going on a run to take the lead, the Spartans ran into early foul trouble as Agne Girstautaite committed two personal fouls and had to sit for much of last half of play in the first half. Junior guard Amanda Leigh picked up the slack in the scoring department, scoring 5 points to give UNCG a 19-17 lead.

Both teams continued to play an even game for the remainder of the half, as the Spartans went into the half with a 36-30 lead. Katie Tull led the Buccaneers with 10 points from the field, while Lakiah Hyson hade 8 points to lead the Spartans at the half. The Spartans overcame early shooting woes to come back and shoot 51.9% from the field, while Charleston Southern shot 38.5% in the half.

The Spartans started off the second half much like they did the first half, as Charleston Southern went on a 16-0 run to take a 46-36 lead, while UNCG started 0-9 from the field. Through the first nine minutes of the second half, the Spartans still had not registered any points. After eleven minutes, the Spartans finally scored their first points of the half as Amanda Leigh made the score 46-38. Moments later, Dayshaun Richbow scored for UNCG to cut the lead to six.

As soon as it looked like the Spartans were going to make a run to get back in the ballgame, Katie Tull knocked down her fifth three pointer of the night to push the Buccaneers' lead back up to nine. With five minutes left in regulation, the Buccaneers held a 51-40 lead.

With three minutes left and the Spartans trailing by eight, UNCG looked to make one more run at the Buccaneers' lead. The Spartans went into their full court press, which worked to perfection as it forced two Charleston Southern turnovers. After two three pointers by the Spartans, the score was 56-54 Charleston Southern with 39 seconds left in regulation.

After a traveling call on the Buccaneers, the Spartans had possession with 10.8 seconds remaining in regulation. Guard Brey Dorsett was able to get free for a three point attempt, but her shot hit the back of the rim, and Charleston Southern held on for the 56-54 win. With the loss, the Spartans fall to 1-5 overall, losing their last five games.