NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Interstat) — Amourie Porter scored 23 points and Winthrop used a dominant second half to pull away from Charleston Southern for a 77-55 victory in a Big South Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at CSU Field House.

The Eagles, who led by just nine points at halftime, outscored the Buccaneers 44-31 after the break to secure the season sweep and improve to 14-16 overall. Charleston Southern fell to 8-21.

The most important stretch of the game came late in the second quarter and extended into the third, as Winthrop transformed a tight contest into a comfortable lead. Leading 33-24 with under two minutes left in the first half, the Eagles closed the second quarter on a 9-0 run, capped by a Porter pull-up jumper with 59 seconds remaining, to take a 42-24 advantage into the locker room. Porter had 11 of her points in the second quarter alone.

Winthrop then opened the third quarter with a 7-2 spurt, pushing the lead to 23 points and effectively putting the game out of reach. Charleston Southern never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Porter, a 5-foot-10 guard from Glen Burnie, Maryland, was efficient in her 35 minutes, adding a block and a steal. She was supported by Madison Ruff, who scored 15 points, and Cori Lard, who orchestrated the offense with eight assists to go with 11 points. Naomi Wilson also contributed 11 points for the Eagles.

Charleston Southern was led by Tyonna Bailey’s 17 points. Alba Garcia added 11 points and Asha Sra dished out eight assists for the Buccaneers, but the team struggled offensively throughout, shooting just 32.2% from the field.

Winthrop’s defense was a catalyst, forcing 16 turnovers and converting them into 19 points. The Eagles also controlled the paint, outscoring Charleston Southern 44-20 inside and holding a 42-33 rebounding advantage.

Statistically, the Eagles shot 51.7% from the field and posted an offensive rating of 104.0 points per 100 possessions. The Buccaneers managed only a 73.6 offensive rating, hampered by 9-of-29 shooting from three-point range.

The game was a reversal of the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 10, which Winthrop won 63-54 in a much closer affair. The Eagles have now won five of their last seven games.

An announced crowd of 382 watched at the 881-seat CSU Field House.

Winthrop concludes its regular season with momentum ahead of the conference tournament, while Charleston Southern looks to regroup in its finale.