College of Charleston
Armstrong State (Exhibition)
Cougars Victorious in Opening Exhibition Game
11/5/2011 2:09:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Three players scored in double-figures, as the College of Charleston women's basketball team withstood a late rally, to capture a 58-55 victory over the Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates Friday night at TD Arena.
Junior guard Megan Fischer led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds and junior Latisha Harris scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Sophomore Alyssa Frye chipped in with 11 points.
The Cougars got out quickly as they built a 6-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Frye in the first minute and a half of the game. The Pirates kept it close and CofC held a narrow 32-30 lead going into halftime.
The Cougars came out with a defensive intensity in the second half and went on a 13-0 run and held the Pirates scoreless until the 12:35 mark in the half. CofC would lead by as many as 18 points, but the Pirates stormed back, as their press forced the Cougars into numerous turnovers.
The Pirates would use a 14-0 run of their own to pull within five at 54-49. The Cougars stayed poised down the stretch and sophomore point guard Jillian Brown hit two crucial free-throws with 15 second left in the game to give the Cougars the 58-55 win.
Rebounding was a key for the Cougars as they outrebounded the Pirates 50-35 and pulled down 24 offensive rebounds. CofC also forced 20 Pirate turnovers and had seven blocked shots.
The Cougars will return to practice next week in preparation for their home opener Nov. 11 as they host East Carolina at 5:00 p.m. as part of a double-header with the men's basketball team.
Quotes from Head Coach Nancy Wilson
On the game in general
"When I look at our stats, we did well in every category, unfortunately we led in turnovers as well. I would say turnovers and working against their press would be the area we would look at this game and need to improve on."
On starting the second-half on a 13-0 run
"We talked about at halftime that we had not helped each other on defense as much, so we wanted to do a better job of that. We also shot the ball much better which helped a lot. "
On overall game and getting playing time for the freshman
"I thought it was a great game for us. It was exactly what we needed. We got to play well in a spurt and we had to protect the ball down the stretch and come out with a win. I saw some good things from the freshman also which I was happy about."
