CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Charleston Southern jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first half, and held off a late push by Gardner-Webb en route to a 93-80 Big South Conference win on Saturday evening.
Charleston Southern (12-7, 6-2 Big South) shot 50.8 percent on the night, including a 54.5 percent clip in the first half, while knocking down 15-of-28 from beyond the arc. Gardner-Webb (13-8, 5-3 Big South) connected on an even 50 percent of its attempts from the floor, shooting 51.9 percent in the second half, as the Bucs won the battle on the glass by a 36-27 margin.
Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) and Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with 19 points each, with Burbage knocking down 5-of-8 from downtown and Nelson connecting on 8-of-12 from the floor. Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) added 17 points with a 6-for-10 effort from the field, while Jarvis Davis (Columbia, S.C.) chipped in 11 points. Jerome Hill (Adel, Ga.) pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
Saah Nimley led the way for Charleston Southern, pouring in 26 of his game-high 37 points in the first half, while shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 7-of-12 from long range. Arlon Harper and Will Saunders added 20 and 17 points, respectively, for the Bucs, as Aaron Wheeler dished out a game-high six assists. Cedrick Bowen chipped in eight points and a contest-best eight boards.
The Runnin' Bulldogs jumped out to an early five-point advantage, opening an 8-3 lead on a Burbage trey before CSU responded with a 9-6 spurt, closing the gap to 14-12 following Saunders' third straight three-ball with 14:13 left in the half.
A three-shot foul by Gardner-Webb and three subsequent conversions by Nimley would kick-start another run for Charleston Southern, as the Bucs scored 23 of the next 32 points to open a 32-23 advantage on a trey by Nimley with 9:48 to go.
Charleston Southern's offense kept firing on all cylinders over the next several minutes, stretching the margin to 43-26 on a three by Harper at the 7:35 mark. The Bucs would push the lead to as many as 22 in the first half, claiming a 53-31 advantage with 5:13 left on the clock before Gardner-Webb closed the half on a 13-5 run, closing the gap to 58-44 at the break.
Gardner-Webb continued to battle in the early moments of the second half, opening the period with a 13-7 spurt to cut the lead to 65-57 with 13:37 to play on a McBride three. The Runnin' Bulldogs stayed within striking distance throughout the next 10 minutes, trimming the margin to as few as seven following an easy lay-in from Nelson at the 5:04 mark.
The Bucs would weather the storm, closing the night with a 13-7 run over the final four minutes to seal the 93-80 victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Monday when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on Campbell in Big South play at 8:00 pm. The game will air live on the American Sports Network.
