#articleRelated { display: none !important; } The College of Charleston used stingy defense, including a career-high six blocks from Erika Smith, to hold the UNC Greensboro Spartans to just 16.7 percent shooting in the first half came away with the 65-52 victory in women's basketball action in front of 206 fans at the John Kresse Arena.

Charleston improves to 10-11 overall and with a 7-8 conference mark, tie the win total in league play since joining the Southern Conference in 1998. The Spartans drop to 12-10 and 9-6 on the season.

The first half remained close as the Cougars and Spartans traded baskets for the first 10 minutes. Charleston led by five with 9:58 left in the half before a 7-0 run took the margin up to 12 at 21-9 with 7:12 left. The Cougars capitalized on a 16.7 first half shooting percentage by UNCG and led by as much as 14 before settling on the halftime score of 31-19. The Spartans made only 4-of-24 attempts from the field, which included beginning the game 1-for-18 for their second-lowest shooting performance in the first half this season. Charleston shot 38.7 percent from the field and was a perfect six-for-six from the charity stripe.

UNC Greensboro opened the second half with an 18-6 run to tie the game at 37-37 with 10:03 remaining. The Spartans took a three-point lead at 40-37 before a 17-4 run took the Cougars back up to a double-digit lead at 54-44 with 3:41 left in the game. Free throws and timely baskets down the stretch helped the Cougars hold on to the lead and the eventual 65-52 victory.

The Cougars shot 55.6 in the second half to finish the game with a 44.9 percentage from the field, while the Spartans were held to 27.1 percent. UNC Greensboro held the slight 40-39 rebound advantage but it was Charleston who led the defensive boards with the 26-18 mark. Charleston went 20-for-28 from the free throw line for 71.4 percent, while UNCG went 18-for-26 for 69.2 percent.

Jasmine Byrd led the Spartans with 15 points, while Kristen Boone followed with 11 points. KaLeah Latham paced UNCG with seven rebounds. Chambers and Erica Irick both led the Cougars with 14 points, while Smith scored a career-high 13 points to add to her career night. Bryant followed with nine points and a game-leading 10 rebounds.

UNC Greensboro hosts Western Carolina Feb. 12th at 3:00 PM, while the College of Charleston travels to Furman for a 1:30 PM tip-off the same afternoon. The game will be broadcast on ComCast Sports Southeast on a tape-delay basis at 6:00 PM.