HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Coastal Carolina University women’s basketball team dropped a 71-63 decision to High Point Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Millis Center. Sophomore Kate Jasinski scored a game-high 18 points but the Panthers had five players hit double figures and held a 54-31 advantage on the glass at the end of 40 minutes. The loss drops the Chanticleers to 12-10 on the season and 4-5 in the Big South, while High Point improves to 11-11 overall and 7-2 in the league.

Jasinski scored 10 of her 18 points in the first half and finished leading all scorers with 18. Sophomore Sydnei Moss contributed 15 points while classmate Jessica Noll knocked down 12 points for the Chants. High Point’s Andrea Tucker led her squad with 14 points while teammates LaTeisha Dean (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Shamia Brown (10 points, 12 rebounds) each tallied a double-double. Mackenzie Maier, and Frances Fields added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

The Chanticleers started the game well going ahead 5-1 in the opening minutes, but found themselves in foul trouble quickly as junior Kendra Reynolds picked up two fouls after three minutes of play. High Point used a 7-0 run to get back in the game and the teams were all tied up at 13-13 after eight minutes of play.

High Point scored the next eight points and went up by as much as 13 at 30-17 with 5:24 left to play in the half. Coastal Carolina’s sophomore duo of Jasinski and Moss teamed up to tally the next 10 points for the Chants and trimmed the deficit to three points at 30-27 with just under two minutes remaining in the frame. The Panthers closed the half scoring the next five points and took a 35-27 lead into the break. Coastal Carolina was held off the offensive glass for the first 12 minutes and outrebounded 30-17 in the first 20 minutes of play. 

High Point outscored the Chanticleers 15-6 to begin the second frame and went up by 17 points at 50-33 at the 13-minute mark. Coastal Carolina slowly chipped away at the Panthers lead and cut the deficit to nine points on a pull up jumper by Jasinski. High Point kept the Chants at bay by 11 points for most of the frame until a jumper by Reynolds and a triple by Noll made it a six-point ball game at 66-60 with under three minutes left to play. Another triple by Jasinski helped the Chants pull within four points at 67-63. Coastal Carolina sent the Panthers to the free throw line where Maier made both freebies to stretch the lead back to six. Noll put up a three-pointer but failed to convert and the Panthers would get the 71-63 victory at the foul line. 

Coastal Carolina entered the game missing two important players in juniors Amanda Stull and Devin Rivers. Stull missed the first game of her career after falling ill early this morning, ending a 78-game appearance streak including 49 consecutive starts. Rivers is still rehabbing an ankle after tweaking it against Winthrop two weeks ago. With these two players missing from the lineup, Coastal Carolina was down to eight players and it showed on the glass getting outrebounded 54-31. Stull averages 6.7 rebounds and Rivers 5.1 boards per game. The Chants scored 14 points off of 11 Panther turnovers and shot 80.0 percent (12-of-15) at the free throw line behind Moss’ 6-for-6 performance. 

Coastal Carolina will end its two-game road trip at UNC Asheville Monday, Feb. 9. Game time is set for 7 p.m.