UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland – UNCW surged to a 40-31 lead in the first half against College of Charleston, but the eighth-seeded Cougars outscored the ninth-seeded Seahawks by a 40-22 margin after the break to win the opening game of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a 71-62 victory at Show Place Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Cougars, who improved to 11-19 on the season, move on to the quarterfinals against top-seeded James Madison on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Seahawks' season comes to a close with a 7-23 record.
 
Senior guard Shatia Cole led the Seahawks by scoring 19 points, including 14 in the first half. Playing in the final game of her college career, she also contributed three rebounds and three assists.
 
Junior guard Jasmine Steele added 16 points while sophomore guard Madison Raque contributed 11 points while matching her career high with eight rebounds. Junior forward Jordan Henry grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds while scoring seven points with three assists and three steals.
 
Junior guard Breanna Bolden paced Charleston with a game-high 25 points after making 9 of 15 shots from the floor and seven of eight free throws. She nearly recorded a double-double with nine rebounds while adding three assists.
 
Freshman guard Dajah Logan came off the bench to score 15 points with eight rebounds. She shot 6-for-12 from the floor, including a 2-for-3 effort from three-point range.
 
How It Happened: Charleston outscored UNCW by a 20-10 margin in the third quarter to erase a nine-point deficit and take a 51-50 lead the Cougars did not relinquish. The Cougars continued to build the lead in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter for a 65-54 advantage before UNCW used an 8-0 run to trim the margin to 65-62. But, the Cougars scored the final six points to close out the victory.    
 
#SeahawkStats: Wednesday's game marked the first-ever postseason meeting between the Seahawks and the Cougars … Charleston earned its fifth win in the last seven meetings over UNCW … The Cougars lead the all-time series by a 10-9 margin … UNCW closed out the season on an eight-game losing streak … Henry posted her 13th double-digit rebounding effort of the season … Cole scored in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games … She finished the season with 20 double-digit scoring efforts, which led the team … Steele tallied her 14th double-digit scoring performance of the season … Charleston outrebounded UNCW by a 43-37 margin … UNCW scored 40 or more points in the first half for the second time this season (Feb. 12 vs. Northeastern – 41 points) … The Seahawks fell to 17-32 all-time in the CAA Tournament, including a 7-5 mark in the first round.

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