College of Charleston
Winthrop
Cougars Drop Heartbreaker vs. Winthrop, 63-61
11/29/2012 3:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Freshman Shannon Hines hit a dramatic three-pointer with 11 seconds to go to tie the game at 61-61, but a College of Charleston foul gave Winthrop free-throws to win the game as the Cougars fell 63-61 Wednesday at TD Arena.
Senior Latisha Harris posted a career-high 23 points and also contributed eight rebounds and five blocks to lead the Cougars.
"I really appreciated our hustle," CofC head coach Natasha Adair said. "We played hard, but we have to play smart. This team still has to grow and we will teach and watch film and practice to get better."
Junior Alyssa Frye got the Cougars (2-4) off to a good start as she hit her first three shots from beyond the three-point arc in the first five minutes of the game to put CofC up 16-12. Frye had 11 at halftime and the Cougars led 31-28 at the break.
Harris took control of the game to start the second half as she scored eight points to ignite an 11-4 run and put the Cougars up 42-32 against the Eagles (3-3).
The Cougars gave up 20 second chance points for the game and went 8-of-16 from the free-throw, which helped Winthrop get back in the game.
Harris put the Cougars up 56-53 with 2:29 to go with her 10th field goal of the game, but the Eagles tied the game with a three-pointer by Diana Choibekova, who scored 23 points for the Eagles. A few possessions later Harris picked up a costly foul as it was her fifth and she left the game with 1:25 to play and the score knotted at 56.
Winthrop got a bucket to go up two at 58-56 with 1:12 to go and after a missed three-pointer by Frye, senior Cathryn Hardy picked up her fifth foul and had to exit the game with 49 seconds remaining.
Winthrop went up by as many as four, but junior Jillian Brown answered with a drive to the basket and score to bring the Cougars to within two at 60-58 with 27 seconds left to play.
After Winthrop added a free-throw to go up three both teams traded empty possessions until sophomore Jazz Green got a rebound and found Hines in the right corner as she knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61 with 11 seconds to play.
As Winthrop brought the ball up the court a foul was whistled on Green and Winthrop's Dequesha McClanahan made two free-throws to put Winthrop up 63-61. The Cougars would have one last chance, but Brown's jumper rimmed out as time expired.
"Competitors never quit and this game should make us hungrier for the next game," Adair said. "This game makes you more focused for the next game. This team is learning how to fight and playing harder than they have played before. The quickest way to get over this is to go get a win."
Up next the Cougars begin Southern Conference play as they take on Elon on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and UNCG Monday at 7:00 p.m.
