ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop women's basketball overcame a 15-point deficit to complete the comeback and season sweep over Charleston Southern with a 56-46 win at the Coliseum on Tuesday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tori Gittens quickly gave the Buccaneers a 6-2 lead, draining 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Jah'Che Whitfield sank a 3-pointer of her own before Maleeah Langstaff gave Winthrop a 7-6 edge. The visitors then went on an 8-0 run to give them a 17-9 lead after 10 minutes of play. Whitfield sank a jumper two minutes into the second quarter to make it a single-digit deficit but a 9-1 CSU run made it hard to come back. With 4:51 remaining in the half, Kem Nwabudu beat the shot clock to make it an 11 point game. Nwabudu scored eight of her 10 first half points in the second quarter. The home team trailed by 13 at halftime. The Eagles came out of the locker room hot, opening the half with a 8-2 run, with six of those eight points coming off the hands of Anika Riley. Langstaff made it a one possession game with 3:41 to play in the third and then a one point game with 1:05 on the clock. CSU was hit with a traveling call and Winthrop got the ball back but couldn't get a shot off. Both teams were held scoreless through the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter before Whitfield snapped the scoreless streak with two good free throws to give Winthrop a 42-41 lead. With 3:45 remaining, Winthrop took a six point lead off a Whitfiled-3-pointer. CSU's Kelsie Ruff drained a 3-pointer of her own to keep it a one possession game. A 7-0 run secured the win for the Eagles.
 
KEY PLAYERS

• Jah'Che Whitified (17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal)
• Kem Nwabudu (16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals)
• Maleeah Langstaff (13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal)
• Anika Riley (6 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals)

NOTABLES

• Eagles won the battle of the boards, 44-40
• Winthrop had zero points off the bench, the first time this season
• The Eagles committed 13 turnovers, resulting in just 14 points for the Buccaneers
• CSU turned the ball over 11 times, resulting in just 7 points for the Eagles.
• 26 of Winthrop's 56 points were fast break points
• The Eagles held CSU to just six and five points respectively in the third and fourth quarter.
• CSU opened the game 5-of-9 from 3-point range and finished 1-of-20 from behind the arc.

 UP NEXT
The Eagles will have a week off before traveling to Virginia for a contest against the Hampton Pirates on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Winthrop opened Big South Conference play at home against Hampton, winning the contest 72-66 and extending its winning streak to three games. Four Eagles finished in double figures, led by Destinee Jamison-Whitfield with 17 points. Maleeah Langstaff notched 12 points of her own and 12 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. Laren VanArsdale led the offense for Hampton with a game-high 20 points.