CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The College of Charleston women's basketball team (10-6, 2-3) picked up its second straight win on Friday afternoon, using a 55-point second half to run past Towson in an 88-72 win inside TD Arena. The Cougars also scored 55 points in the second half in their last game at William & Mary.
Jenna Annecchiarico was the story, dropping a career-high and program-best 36 points. She also recorded six assists and six rebounds and set the program record for free-throws made, connecting on 18-of-19 from the charity stripe.
Two other Cougars also had some of their best performances of the season. Arynn Eady posted her sixth double-double of the campaign, scoring 16 points and grabbing a season-high 17 rebounds. Latrice Perkins dropped a season-best 18 points.
Towson came into the matchup as the CAA's top-rated team in the NCAA NET rankings (80th), but Annecchiarico and company proved to be too much as the Cougars outscored the Tigers 55-37 in the second half of the game.
First Half
- The Cougars got out to a slow shooting start, but defense kept CofC in the game early
- Charleston raced out to a 7-2 lead before a 15-8 Towson run gave the Tigers a 17-15 advantage with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter
- After one, Towson led 19-18. Jenna Annecchiarico scored a game-high nine points in the opening period
- Towson would extend its lead to 22-18 at the 7:30 mark, but a 7-0 Charleston run, fueled by emphatic blocks from Annecchiarico and Grace Abercrombie that turned into offense, gave CofC a 25-22 lead with 6:30 remaining until halftime
- The Tigers bounced back, reeling off an 8-2 spurt to pull back ahead, 30-27 with 3:46 left in the second quarter
- The Tigers would carry a 35-33 lead in the break
Second Half
- The Cougars got and-ones from Arynn Eady and Jenna Annecchiarico early in the second half and grabbed a 40-38 lead with around 7:00 left in the quarter
- Charleston built a 46-39 lead midway through the third quarter, its largest lead of the game to that point
- Jenna Annecchiarico would score nine straight points for the Cougars. The junior had racked up 24 points through three quarters of play
- Meanwhile, Arynn Eady had racked up 14 points and 15 rebounds after just three periods
- Charleston would carry a 57-48 lead into the fourth quarter
- CofC opened the fourth quarter with a bucket by Latrice Perkins and a triple by Jenna Annecchiarico to extend its lead to 14 points
- The Cougars would maintain at least a nine-point lead for most of the fourth quarter, keeping Towson at arm's length
- Timely buckets by Annecchiarico and Tyler Collins helped the Cougars secure their first CAA home win of the season, 88-72
Team Stats
- The Cougars recorded 50 rrebounds, including a season-high 21 offensive boards
- As a team, Charleston shot 28-of-32 (88 percent) from the foul line
- CofC scored 42 points in the paint and 20 points off of Towson turnovers
What They Said
- Jenna Annecchiarico on her program record of 36 points: "I think it's all about confidence. I know my team has a lot of confidence in me. My teammates just picked me up and helped me play the way I am capable of playing."
- Arynn Eady on her season-high 17 rebounds: "That's what the team needs from me and that's one of my strengths. I feel like even if my shot's not falling, I can always help the team by rebounding."
Up Next
- The Cougars will return to action on Sunday, January 23 as the James Madison Dukes come to TD Arena. Tip is set for 2:00 p.m. on FloSports.
