College of Charleston
8-11; 3-5
Towson
5-15; 2-7
Early Surge Propels Cougars to 67-55 Win Over Towson
1/31/2016 10:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – After setting the tone with a blazing 11-0 start to steal the early momentum, CofC held the lead against Towson for the remainder of the game, ultimately prevailing 67-55 and picking up their third win in four games.
“We had a great effort today from everybody from start to finish,” head coach Candice M. Jackson said. “I was proud of the way we were able to remain under control, yet managed to remain aggressive.”
No one Cougar took over the game, with stats spreading out throughout the roster. Breanna Bolden, Jackie Luna-Castro, and Dajah Logan all came tantalizingly close to double-doubles, with all four pulling down nine rebounds to go with double-digit scoring.
Logan drew her second start in a row, and likewise, her effort on the glass set a career-high in boards for the second straight time. Luna-Castro added four blocks in the win, setting a new season-high.
Kelsey Booth joined the scoring party with ten points of her own, while Nola Henry had an balanced stat-line, matching a season-high nine points while adding six assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal. Henry's six assists were the largest portion of the team's 16 total, which doubled that of Towson (8).
“We've been preaching about the importance of a full team effort ever since before the season started,” Jackson said. “It's great to have that click and sink in these past couple games heading into February when things will start to heat up.”
The game was a chippy affair with 48 combined fouls, and even a technical assessed on Towson's Raven Bankston in the second quarter. As such, the Cougars enjoyed 29 trips to the free throw line, converting 20 of their attempts. CofC was aggressive on the glass as well, winning the rebounding battle 42-37. Towson's ultimate undoing came as a result of their struggles from long range, as they hit a mere 2-of-15 attempts (13.3%).
Senior guard Dominique Johnson had the most impressive afternoon for the Tigers, scoring 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting and adding six boards, a block and three steals.
The Cougars' win drops Towson to 5-15 overall and 2-7 in conference play, leaving them in last place in the conference. The Cougars meanwhile rise to 8-11 on the season and 3-5 in CAA action. Despite the victory, the Cougars hold fast in seventh place in the conference as a result of William & Mary's 69-62 win over Northeastern to improve to 4-5 in CAA games.
Next up, the Cougars will enjoy four days off, and will then remain at home for a pair of games at home in TD Arena against Northeastern and Drexel.
“Northeastern is much improved from last year, as are we,” Jackson said. “It's going to be another battle, and I'm happy that we're going to be at home to do it.”
Tipoff for the Cougars' next game is scheduled for Friday, Feb 5 at 6:30 p.m. against the NU Huskies (7-13; 2-7 vs. CAA).
