HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Cobra Women’s Basketball team started 2011 with a bang on Monday night thanks to a 67-58 win over St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Conference Carolinas women’s basketball action. The win is Coker’s first of the season and the first for first-year head coach Jenny Finora.

It was a tightly contested game from the very start, but the Knights looked as if they might be the team to pick up the win early on in the game. St. Andrews held as much as a 10 point lead with just four minutes remaining in the first half, but a 12-2 Coker run during those four minutes tied the game at 31 all as the teams entered the locker rooms for halftime.

The Cobras momentum carried over into the second half and within the first three minutes they grabbed a six point lead (37-31). St. Andrews quickly responded and a Kimayah Fulcher (New Bern, N.C.) brought the Knights within just one point, 39-38 with 15:21 left in the game, but that would be as close as the Knights would get for the rest of the game.

The Cobras turned on the pressure from then on and built as much as a 15 point lead in the second half. St. Andrews would manage to cut the lead to seven with just five minutes remaining, but Coker was able to hold the lead and earn their first win of the season.

Four Cobras notched double figure point totals in the game. Senior guard Megan Thomas (Cresskill, N.J.) was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Jasmine Alston (Sumter, S.C.) poured in 15 points and three rebounds off the bench. Sophomore Cassie Kirby (Charlottesville, Va.) was spark plug for the Coker women scoring 12 points with eight rebounds in her first action of the season, after missing the entire first half due to injury. Senior Maija Castren (Vantaa, Finland) was the fourth Cobra with 10 or more points. She netted 10 points with four rebounds.

Natalie Whitman (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) was the Knights leading scorer with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Natia Gasque (Georgetown, S.C.) Monique Lee (Chillicothe, Ohio) each had 10 points with six and seven rebounds respectively.

Coker will return to action on Thursday, when they host Limestone College their second Conference Carolinas game of the week, while St. Andrews will take on Converse College also on Thursday. Both games tip-off at 5:30 p.m.