CHARLESTON, S.C. – Sophomore Bre Bolden and senior Erin Hall combined for 38 points on Sunday afternoon to lead the College of Charleston women's basketball team to their first win of the season, defeating the Mercer Bears, 72-59, in front of a strong crowd at TD Arena. The result also marks the first career victory for first year head coach Candice M. Jackson.
“I'm extremely proud of the players,” said Jackson after the game. “We played today the way we're capable of playing and I'm very happy with the effort the team put forth. This is a great way to head in to the break, and now we'll take a few days to celebrate the holidays with our families before it's time to get back to work.”
In what was undoubtedly their best display of the season, the Cougars (1-8) were especially efficient on the offensive end, hitting at a 51.9% clip from the field, while knocking down four-of-ten from behind the arc and 14-of-17 from the charity stripe. The Cougars also won the turnover battle, forcing 16 takeaways while limiting themselves to just 11. It was a true team performance from The College who had eight players on the score sheet and dominated in bench points, outperforming the Bears, 24-3.
It didn't start well for the hosts, as Mercer (6-6) – just one week removed from a victory over Alabama – held the Cougars scoreless for the first three and half minutes of the game, taking a 9-0 lead with 16:18 remaining in the half. It was all Cougars from there though, as CofC rode a 30-13 run over the course of the next 11 minutes to take a 30-22 lead at the five minute mark. A Precious Bridges three then closed the gap to just four as CofC took a 34-30 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
The Cougars then came out firing in the early stages of the second half as baskets from Jacqueline Luna-Castro, Christy Hewatt and Bolden saw The College quickly extend their advantage from four to 15 at the under-16 media timeout. Still up 13 following a pull-up jumper from Shannon Hines with 11:55 to play in the game, the Bears – courtesy of some sharp-shooting from Bridges – mounted a comeback, eventually cutting the deficit to just four, 58-54 with 6:29 to play.
That was as close as the Bears would get though, as a three-pointer from Hall and back-to-back transition layups from Bolden recaptured the Cougars momentum, eventually handing the hosts their first win of the 2014-15 campaign, 72-59.
Bridges – the highest scorer in the Southern Conference – dropped 33 points for Mercer, while Hall registered a career-high 18 for the Cougars. Also of note was the play of sophomore Bre Bolden, who managed one of the best games of her early career, notching 20 points, while also chipping in with nine rebounds and six steals.
Up next for the Cougars is an in-state showdown with South Carolina State, in Orangeburg, on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 4:00 p.m.
CONNECTING WITH THE COUGARS
You can keep up with all things College of Charleston Women's Basketball by following us on Twitter and Vine @CofCWBasketball, as well as Instagram @CofCWBB. You can also like us on Facebook
