CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern faced off with the Presbyterian Blue Hose in Big South action Saturday, taking a 57-52 victory at the CSU Field House. The Bucs were part of a close one, unable to extend their lead past seven, but holding on for the five point victory. With the win, CSU improved to 8-18 with a 3-12 mark in the Big South, while Presbyterian dropped to 11-16 and 8-8 in the conference.

The Bucs put three in double-figures, including 12 from both Omar Carter and Jamarco Warren. Giedrius Knysas also chipped in with 10 points and 7 boards. For Presbyterian, Al'Lonzo Coleman had 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Knysas had the Bucs on the board first, after a tip-in on their first possession. The Blue Hose responded with seven unanswered points to take a five point lead with 17:46 on the clock. Presbyterian went up by as many as 7, before CSU went on a 12-2 run, capped off by an Carter three.

The lead was traded early on, but a JT Knight foul shot had the score knotted at 19 apiece with 8:46 on the clock. The Bucs kept it to a two possession game, but the Blue Hose used the final 4:46 of the half to mount a 7-0 run. CSU went into the intermission down 10 with a 24-34 score.

Carter had 10 points and 3 rebounds on 4-7 shooting at the break. Presbyterian couldn't miss in the first half, shooting 52 percent from the floor, behind Coleman's 10 points.

CSU came out of the locker room with 4 quick points, after athletic layups from Joel Lamb and Tovi Bailey. It was the Buccaneer defense that brought them back in the game, holding the Blue Hose scoreless in the first 5:36 of the second half.

Thanks in large part to the scoring drought, CSU completed an 11-0 run with a Warren four point play, giving the Bucs a 35-34 lead with 14:40 on the clock. Warren continued his hot shooting, and two more threes gave CSU their biggest lead of the game with a 46-41 score.

Austin Johnson helped extend that lead with a driving layup that put the Bucs up 50-43 with 7:11 left on the clock. It was close for the majority of the second half, as CSU's lead never dipped below 5 or went above 7 for an 8 minute stretch.

It got even closer when a Blue Hose three cut the lead to three with 38 remaining in the game. Presbyterian used some full-court pressure to force a turnover and had a shot to tie it. Carter pulled down a rebound with 7 seconds on the clock and after being fouled, calmly hit two free throws to seal the deal and give the Bucs a 57-52 win.

CSU will continue in the hunt for the post-season when they head to Winthrop on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest. The Bucs return home for senior night on February 26th to play Coastal Carolina, before finishing the regular season at Gardner-Webb on February 28th.