College of Charleston
Savannah State
Strong second half powers Cougars past Savannah State, 68-48
1/28/2010 3:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Senior guard Ericka Williams (Blackville, S.C.) posted a game-high 16 points and freshman forward Latisha Harris (Aynor, S.C.) had a career night with 12 points and eight rebounds as the College of Charleston (15-6, 9-3) defeated Savannah State (8-16) by a score of 68-48 in a non-conference women's basketball game at the Carolina First Arena.
The victory gives CofC back-to-back 15-win seasons for the first time since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons while the Tigers drop their 12th straight contest.
After weathering a strong first half from SSU that left the College of Charleston with a slim 30-26 lead at the break, the Cougars turned it on in the second half. While the Tigers battled to keep it close over the first 2:31 and pulled to within 35-32, it would not last as CofC put together a 23-7 run over the next 12:25 to take a commanding 58-39 advantage and all but put the game away with just over six minutes to play.
Savannah State held the Cougars to only ten more points the rest of the way but were held without a field goal themselves for the last 5:36, notching nine free throws in that time, as CofC went on to a 68-48 victory.
“The game tonight was exactly what I had hoped it would be for us, an opportunity for everybody to get some minutes” said head coach Nancy Wilson. “We've got some really good kids on our bench who just don't get a lot of playing time because we have such a strong senior class. So I was hoping we'd get a chance to see them in action, get them on the court and also to be able to combine some of our more experienced players with our less experienced players. Fortunately tonight we could do that”.
In the first half, the Cougars battled a Savannah State team that would not go away as neither club held a lead of more than six points during the first 20 minutes. Both clubs led by at least five points during the half as a number of Cougars underclassmen saw extended playing time. Leading, 23-22 with 4:10 to play, CofC ended the half with an 8-4 run to take their four-point lead into the break.
Junior guard Courtney Long led a balanced attack for Savannah State with 10 points while four Tigers notched eight points. Sophomore forward Alisha Nelson led the way with a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with her eight points while freshman center Reynetta Phillips finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guards Kymberli Stamps and Crissa Jackson also were just outside of double-figures with eight points.
Ericka Williams led the College of Charleston with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Latisha Harris finished with career-highs of 12 points and eight rebounds in only 19 minutes of action. Senior forward Brooke Kotcella (Anderson, S.C.) added six points for the Cougars while both freshman forward Caleigh Crowell (Worcester, Mass.) and freshman guard Taylor Mims (Baton Rouge, La.) chipped in with five points apiece. Junior guard Tonia Gerty (Port Orange, Fla.) added a game-high five assists.
The Cougars are back in action when they return to their Southern Conference schedule and host Furman at the Carolina First Arena on Saturday, January 30. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
NOTES
The Cougars took a 2-0 lead prior to the start of the game as Savannah State was flagged for an administrative technical foul … Ericka Williams knocked down both free throws just before tip-off for the Cougars … CofC limited the Tigers to a shooting percentage of 30.2 (16-53) for the game while drilling 44.4 percent (24-54) of their shots ... the Cougars notched back-to-back 15-wins seasons since the 1990-91 team went 15-12 and the 1991-92 squad finished at 15-13 ... CofC is 15-6 this season following a 23-8 campaign a year ago.
