CHARLESTON, S.C.  – In a game that had 10 ties and 20 different lead changes, the visiting Gardner-Webb men's basketball team used a second half scoring surge to avoid being swept for the first time ever in a season series by a tenacious Charleston Southern squad.

Senior guard's DQ Nicholas and Caleb Robinson each scored a team-high 17 points to lead four Runnin' Bulldog double-figure scorers as they defeated the Buccaneers, 85-77, inside Buccaneer Field House Wednesday evening.

Gardner-Webb, which lost to Charleston Southern 86-74 at Paul Porter Arena back on January 10^th, improves to 11-14 overall (6-4 in Big South play).

"This was a hard-fought team win tonight," said Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft, whose team trailed 34-33 at halftime. "They (Charleston Southern) are one of the most physical teams in the league and I'm proud of our team the way they hung in there. We had a stretch in the second half where we were able to string together a bunch of stops and then got some great looks in transition."

Gardner-Webb, which had a 29-14 advantage in fast-break points, used a 14-0 run over a span of 3:36 in the second half to take a 60-45 lead with 9:08 remaining.

The 'Dawgs would extend their lead to 19 points, 68-49, at the 6:46 mark, only to see the Buccaneers go on a 17-5 spurt over the next 5:17 to pull within seven points, 73-66, with 1:29 remaining in the contest.

Free throw shooting, which has been a weakness for the Runnin' Bulldogs at times this season, turned into a strength down the stretch as Gardner-Webb made 12-14 (86%) attempts from the charity stripe to close out the game.

Junior guard Julian Soumaoro, who returned to the lineup after a two-game absence due to injury, made 10 of 12 shots from the line in the final 1:22 to tally 15 points on the evening.

Grad-senior Lucas Steiber also scored in double-figures for the 'Dawgs as he scored 14 points, including 4-6 from behind the three-point line.
Gardner-Webb, which hit 8-of-21 (38%) from deep, outscored Charleston Southern 36-22 in the paint.

The Buccaneers held a slight 44-42 advantage on the glass as Nicholas led the Runnin' Bulldogs in rebounding with eight boards to go with six assists.

Robinson, who had his 20^th double-figure scoring game for the 'Dawgs, grabbed six boards and dished out four assists.

Gardner-Webb shot 45.3 % (29-64) for the game and 19-28 (67.9 %) from the free-throw line.

Charleston Southern, which falls to 8-15 overall (4-6 in Big South), was led by sophomore guard A'lahn Sumler, who scored a game-high 25 points.   

Kalib Clinton (11 points), Taje' Kelly (11 points) and DJ Patrick (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Bucs.

UP NEXT:  Gardner Webb will return to action on Saturday afternoon when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on USC Upstate in the second game of a men's/women's doubleheader between the two schools. Tip-off at the G.B. Hodge Center is slated for 4:30 PM.