Led by senior forward Jackie Luna-Castro and junior guard Breanna Bolden, College of Charleston overcame a two-point deficit in the third quarter to earn its first Colonial Athletic Association win of the season following a 63-54 victory over UNCW at Trask Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
The Cougars, who improved to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in the CAA, ended a five-game losing streak, while the Seahawks dropped to 5-11 on the season with an identical 1-4 conference record.
Luna-Castro and Bolden each recorded a double-double to pace the Cougars in the victory. Luna-Castro scored 12 points and contributed 10 rebounds. Bolden added 15 points and 10 rebounds with four steals.
Senior forward Kelsey Booth added a career-high 18 points with five rebounds for Charleston, including 11 in the fourth quarter.
Trailing by a 48-47 margin with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, College of Charleston held UNCW scoreless for over six minutes in the fourth quarter and used a 17-0 run to build a 64-48 lead with 1:18 left. Booth led the charge by scoring nine points during the run.
The Seahawks were led by senior guard Shatia Cole, who scored a team-high 14 points, including the 1,000th of her college career. Junior guard Jasmine Steele added 10 points, while junior forward Jordan Henry contributed a game-high 10 rebounds.
UNCW begins a brief two game road trip with a trip to Williamsburg, Va. for a date with William & Mary on Friday, Jan. 22.
