BOILING SPRINGS --- Dylan Poston (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) poured in 17 points with a 5-for-7 night from downtown to lead five players in double figures, as Gardner-Webb used a 13-1 run in the second half to pull away for an 84-76 Big South Conference win over Charleston Southern on Thursday evening in Paul Porter Arena.

With the win and Liberty's last-second home loss to Radford, Gardner-Webb (14-14, 9-7 Big South) moves within one half game of the fifth and final first-round bye in next month's Big South Tournament.

Gardner-Webb shot 56.9 percent from the floor on the night – including a 13-of-26 effort from long range – while converting five offensive boards into 10 second-chance points. The Runnin' Bulldogs held Charleston Southern (9-18, 5-11 Big South) to a field goal percentage of 43.1 percent overall and 35.7 percent in the second half, as Gardner-Webb outscored the Buccaneers by a 18-12 margin in the paint over the final 20 minutes.

Poston led the way for Gardner-Webb with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, knocking down five three-pointers, while Isaiah Ivey (Georgetown, Ky.) poured in 16 points to surpass the 500-point plateau for his career. Adonis Burbage (Orlando, Fla.) added 13 points with a 5-for-10 night from the floor, as Harold McBride (Bronx, N.Y.) and Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) each chipped in 11 points.

Tyrell Nelson (Charlotte, N.C.) flirted with a triple-double in the first half, and finished with six points to go along with team-highs of seven rebounds and five assists.

Aaron Wheeler paced all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. Armel Potter added 17 points with a 9-for-10 night at the free throw line, as Patrick Wallace chipped in 10 points.

Shots were falling early for both teams, as the two squads combined for a 15-for-26 clip from the floor in the opening eight and a half minutes of play to go into the first media timeout with Gardner-Webb leading 18-17 at the 11:23 mark.

It would remain a closely contested game for much of the next five minutes, until Ivey buried a three to cap a 14-6 run and give Gardner-Webb a 34-27 advantage with 4:38 left in the half. Charleston Southern would cut the lead to 38-35 on a Wheeler trey three minutes later, before Poston answered with a three-ball of his own to send the Runnin' Bulldogs into the break with a 43-37 advantage.

The Buccaneers fought back in the opening moments of the second half, starting the period with a 15-7 run to take a 52-50 lead on back-to-back treys from Wallace and Potter with 15:10 to play. The lead changed hands seven times over the ensuing eight minutes, with the two squads trading baskets until back-to-back buckets by Rideau put Gardner-Webb ahead 63-60 at the 7:22 mark.

After Wheeler converted both ends of a two-shot foul to cut the margin to 63-62, Gardner-Webb answered with a 13-1 run to open its largest lead of the night – 76-63 – on an Ivey trey with 3:10 left on the clock.

Wheeler got the Bucs back in it moments later with six points in just over a minute, spurring Charleston Southern on an 8-0 spurt to trim the margin to 76-71 with 1:35 to go.

Burbage and the Runnin' Bulldogs answered right back on the ensuing possession, as the senior swingman drained a three in the corner to put Gardner-Webb ahead, 79-71, at the 1:18 mark before some clutch free throw shooting and a late Poston bucket off a McBride steal sealed the victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Longwood in Big South play. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 pm on ESPN3 from Paul Porter Arena. The Runnin' Bulldogs will honor their senior class prior to tip-off.