RADFORD, Va. - No. 7 Charleston Southern dropped a heartbreaker in overtime vs. the No. 2 Radford Highlanders, falling 64-61 in the quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament Tuesday, at the Dedmon Center. The Bucs overcame a 16 point halftime deficit to send the game in overtime, but never led in the contest, despite a few late chances in OT. No. 2 Radford will now move on to the semifinals to play the No. 3 Winthrop Eagles on Thursday at 6 p.m., in Kimbel Arena in Conway, S.C.

Jeremy Sexton showed why he was named Big South Freshman of the Year earlier in the week, posting a team high 18 points on 7-15 shooting. Kelvin Martin had several late baskets, en route to 15 points and six rebounds. Kenny Mitchell also chipped in with 10 points on 5-7 shooting. Jamarco Warren reached double figures with 10 points, but shot just 4-19 from the field and 0-8 from behind the arc.

Conference Player of the Year Art Parakhouski dominated the game with limited offensive touches, recording a game high 24 points on 9-11 shooting, to go along with 13 rebounds. Joey Lynch-Flohr also recorded a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The game started off as planed for CSU, frustrating the offense of Radford with a collapsing two-three zone. The Bucs were able to answer through the first few possessions, making it a 6-6 score at the 16:37 mark. Lynch-Flohr was hot in the early minutes for the Highlanders, posting eight consecutive points, helping the Highlanders to a 12-6 advantage.

CSU had a quick four points after a Quinton Goods layup, but Radford followed with a 9-3 run, going up 21-13 with 8:19 on the clock. The Bucs kept within striking distance for most of the first half, down just seven after a Sexton layup, with 4:12 remaining in the half.

The Highlanders surged for their biggest run of the game to end the half, outscoring CSU 11-2 over the final four minutes. An Amir Johnson steal and layup with two seconds left to play capped off the run, making it a 36-20 Highlander advantage at the intermission.

Parakhouski opened up the second half with a layup, giving Radford their biggest lead of the game with a 38-20 score. After struggling on offense in the first half, the Bucs exploded in the second for a 17-5 run, to move the score to 43-37 at the 12:52 mark. Sexton had eight points in the process, capping off the run with a layup to cut the deficit to just six.

The Highlanders went back up by double digits on two occasions, including a 53-43 lead with 7:56 on the clock. CSU had seven unanswered points from there, capped off by a Warren three point play with 2:51 remaining in regulation.

Radford went back up by five on a Lazar Trifunovic layup, but Sexton answered the following possession with a three, to make it 55-53 with 2:16 on the clock. After a pair of defensive stops, Martin answered the call out of a timeout, scoring a layup with 26 seconds left in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

CSU struggled on offensive the extra period, unable to put points on the board through the first four minutes. The Highlanders held a 61-55 lead, when Martin started things for the Bucs at the 59 second mark, with another acrobatic layup. Martin had a jumper on the following possession to make it a two point game, taking advantage of some Radford missed free throws.

The Highlanders missed on three one-and-one opportunities, leaving the door open for CSU. Warren had a jumper to extend the game, making it a 63-61 score with 30 left in the game. After Parakhouski made one of two from the line, CSU had one last shot to tie it, but Warren's three fell short to make it a final 64-61 score.

The Bucs finished with an overall 13-17 record and a 7-11 mark in the Big South. An already improved CSU team will return four starters next year, with 93% of their offense coming back to the court. The Bucs will graduate three seniors and miss the contributions from Billy Blackmon, Quinton Goods and Sean Sweeney.