ELON, N.C. – The College of Charleston women's basketball team played a gritty, low-scoring contest with the Elon Friday night, but couldn't hang on late as the Phoenix pulled away for the 52-41 win.

The first quarter yielded a 8-7 Elon lead at the end of ten minutes, indicating the pace for much of the rest of the game. No team eclipsed 15 points in any of the four quarters, and though the Cougars generally hung in, the Phoenix inched away by narrowly winning the scoring battle in each quarter.

Darien Huff gave the Cougars a spark early in the second frame by knocking down two quick threes in 33 seconds, giving CofC the 13-10 lead and forcing Elon into an early timeout to halt the Cougar momentum. Huff would lead the Cougars with 11 points on the night on 4-of-11 shooting, adding four boards, a pair of assists and two steals. Kelsey Booth added a team-high seven rebounds, adding five points, a steal and a block.

Turnovers plagued both teams, as CofC and Elon gave it up 17 and 19 times respectively. Elon entered the game as one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, and held protected that mantle with a 45-36 rebounding edge. More than anything, Elon's biggest key for success came in their ability to get to the free throw line (18-of-25 FT), a wide chasm better than what the Cougars were able to muster (3-of-6 FT).

“Our side lacked discipline on the offensive end,” head coach Candice M. Jackson said. “We weren't taking care of business the way we needed to, and didn't get a few stops at crucial times. Holding Elon to 0-14 was a positive takeaway for us, but with our deficiencies tonight, that wasn't enough.”

The Cougars will traverse the harsh winter roads Saturday morning, and will host the James Madison Dukes (12-5; 5-1 vs. CAA) in their next game. Tipoff is currently scheduled for Monday at Noon in TD Arena.