The Denison women's basketball team survived a late Chatham charge and converted three of their final four free throws en route to their sixth-consecutive victory of the 2010-11 season.  The Big Red edged the Cougars 51-46 on Sunday from Livingston Gymnasium in Granville.

The two squads battled for the entire 20 minutes of the opening half.  With 54 seconds left in the period, sophomore Nicole Coggins (Mesa, Ariz./Corona Del Sol) knocked down a three-pointer to put Denison up by nine (27-18).  However, Chatham's Lizz King answered with a triple to trim the deficit back to 27-21 as the two teams entered the half.

The Cougars opened the second frame with a 7-2 spurt to trim the deficit to 29-28 roughly four minutes into the half.  The home team was able to rebuild a seven-point edge, but an 8-0 Cougar run spanning just under two minutes gave the visitors their first lead since the 15:07 mark of the first half.

Ahead 42-41, Coggins and Serafina Nuzzo (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick) each scored to increase the Big Red's lead to five with 2:39 left in regulation.  With Chatham trailing 48-43, King hit a clutch three with 1:29 on the clock to shrink the margin to two.  Denison hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 22 seconds to secure the five-point win.

Both teams struggled from the field with DU hitting 30 percent (19-for-63) and Chatham converting 31 percent (18-for-58) from the floor.  The Big Red held a 45-42 edge on the glass.

Coggins scored a game-high 15 points on 6-of-10 from the floor.  The sophomore also pulled down eight rebounds, while senior Shaina Kaiser (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) logged 12 tallies and a game-best nine boards. The Cougars were led by Kayla Hilko's 10 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, DU improves to 6-0 for the first time in school history, while Chatham falls to 3-3 on the year.  The Big Red return to action on Saturday (Dec. 4) when they travel to Case Western Reserve University.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.