CHARLESTON, S.C. – A 21-6 run over the opening 8:05 of the second half helped Charleston Southern erase a seven-point halftime deficit en route to a 66-58 victory over visiting Longwood Saturday afternoon at the Buc Dome.

After trailing 35-27 at the half, Charleston Southern made its first four shots from the floor in the second half to tie the game in the opening 1:48 of the third quarter. The run was the start of Charleston Southern pouring in .471 (16-34) of its shots throughout the second half.

Longwood trimmed a nine-point deficit to six points prior to the end of the third quarter and got within a pair, 52-50, after a Deborah Headen jumper with nine minutes remaining. However, the Bucs then went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:06 to regain a 10-point advantage, as the Lancers could never draw closer than five points the rest of the way.

A 20-pont afternoon from Bucanneer forward Monique Maximillien neutralized the second double-double of the campaign for Longwood junior Eboni Gilliam, who scored 14 second-half points and finished the afternoon with 18 points to go along with a game-high 14 boards.

A product of Richmond, Va., Gilliam's totals of 18 points and 14 rebounds marked a season-high for the junior college transfer, as she came into the game ranked among the top-10 in the Big South in rebounding.  She finished an efficient 8-for-11 from the floor, while knocking down a pair of second half free throws, while adding a block in 25 minutes of action.

Gilliam was one of three Lancers to finish in double figures, as Kyndal Skersick scored 10 of her 14 points in the opening quarter, while Deborah Headen added 11 points to go along with five assists and a pair of steals.

Maximillien and Gilliam nearly matched each other bucket-for-bucket battling in the low post, as the Charleston Southern senior forward notched a career-high 20 points, as she was 9-of-15 from the floor and added six rebounds to go along three blocks and a pair of steals.

The win gives the Bucs (11-11, 6-7 BSC)  the season sweep over the Lancers and their third win in the last four games, as Longwood (6-16, 3-10 BSC) drops its first pair of games to Charleston Southern since entering the Big South prior to the 2012-13 season. Meanwhile, the Lancers have drop their second straight and seventh of their last eight.

Longwood held its first of two 10-point leads midway through the second quarter after an Autumn Childress putback, to put the cap on a 9-0 run to open the second quarter. In the opening half, the Lancers recorded a .393 (11-for-28) shooting percentage from the floor and a .385 (5-for-13) mark from three-point range.  

For Charleston Southern Alyssa Mann joined Maximillien in double figures with 13 points, while adding a game-high five assists.

Following a two-game road trip, Longwood returns to Willett Hall Tuesday, Feb. 9 to host first place UNC Asheville. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m., inside Willett Hall.  

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