Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Armel Potter poured in a career-high 27 points to help Charleston Southern cruise past Presbyterian, 77-63, on Thursday at the Buc Dome.
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CSU (9-16, 5-9 Big South) took control with a 10-0 first half run and led by 14 points at halftime and as many as 22 in the second half to secure its fifth straight season sweep of Presbyterian (8-16, 3-10 Big South).
Potter added a career-best eight rebounds to help the Bucs dominate the Blue Hose on the glass to the tune of a 43-27 rebounding advantage. Reuben King jolted CSU off the bench and notched his first career double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.
DeSean Murray scored 15 of his 18 points in the opening stanza to pace PC. The rest of the Blue Hose were held to just eight points over the opening twenty minutes as the Bucs harassed them into 6-of-21 shooting.
CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh was pleased with the progress his team showed. The Bucs face a quick turnaround at High Point on Saturday.
"It feels good to get a win, and it feels good to play well," Radebaugh said. "Our guys competed really hard, and executed well and made some shots in the second half. We built a nice lead and were able to maintain it."
"Obviously, Armel was terrific. He could have had three or four more assists too because he kept getting the ball in the right places. His growth has been fun to watch, and he's using his voice more as the point guard to take control of this team."
Potter buried a three-pointer from the left wing to eclipse the scoring benchmark he set last Saturday against Longwood, and give CSU a 70-49 lead with 5:57 remaining. Reuben King scored on a layup off a steal and pass from Javis Howard to stake the Bucs to their largest advantage at the 3:47 mark.
King came off the bench again after starting two games, and gave CSU an immediate lift after PC opened an early 10-6 lead. He scored six consecutive points to tie the game at 12 apiece; twice converting put backs off offensive rebounds. King had 11 points and six boards in the first half alone to power the Bucs to a 37-23 halftime cushion.
"Reuben was excellent," Radebaugh said. "His energy and enthusiasm are his greatest strengths. He's tried to lead this team from day one and makes us better in practice. It was nice to see him get a double-double tonight."
Patrick Wallace erased any hope of a Blue Hose comeback with back-to-back treys, with the latter staking the Bucs to a 53-38 lead with 11:19 left. Wallace drilled triples from the top of the key and left corner in a span of 42 seconds after PC had closed within nine points. He tallied 13 points, while Howard rounded out the Bucs' double-digit scorers with 12 markers and eight rebounds.
Murray had three three-point plays and scored 11 of PC's first 15 points in the first half. The last three-point play cut the CSU lead to 20-15 with 8:26 remaining. Potter got into the lane at will throughout the night, and drove to the basket for a layup to start a 7-0 spurt. Howard and King scored as well as the Bucs pushed their advantage into double figures for the first time.
CSU will play three of its final four regular season games on the road. The Bucs meet High Point on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a contest that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
"We've just done our best to stay positive and keep improving," Radebaugh said. "You can't improve if you get down. We're working every day and want to keep getting better as we head toward March."