JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Defense has been a calling card for Charleston Southern in the past. It showed up at the right time once against Sunday.

Charleston Southern (2-5) held Delaware State (0-7) without a field goal for nearly nine minutes down the stretch turning a 50-44 deficit into a 57-50 lead, one they would hold down the stretch to take a 71-61 victory and close their stay at the Maui on the Mainland games.

Junior guard and All-Big South member Phlandrous Fleming Jr. recorded his second double-double and season-best 19 points in the comeback effort while grabbing 12 rebounds and finishing a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw stripe to help ice the win.

The Hornets saw a game-high 23 points from John Crosby, but the Buccaneer defense held Delaware State in-check over the final 10:53 of the contest and close the ballgame with a 27-11 run.

Dontell Shuler added 18 points and tied his season-high with six assists in the win while Travis Anderson provided a spark off the bench knocking down a career-best four treys for 12 points. Sadarius Bowser added nine key rebounds while the trio of Deontaye Buskey, Sean Price and Ty Jones added 20 points combined with each hitting key baskets during offensive cold stretches.

How It Happened

• Delaware State led at the break of a back-and-forth affair 32-29 as CSU only saw baskets from four players in the opening 20 minutes.
• Both teams traded runs in the early stages of the second half but neither could pad their lead over the first 10 minutes out of the half.
• A 15-3 run over a 4:03 span turned a 47-44 deficit into a 57-50 lead, flipping the game for good in CSU's favor.
• CSU's defense also held Delaware State without a field goal for nearly 9-full minutes in the second half sparking the offense to complete the comeback effort.
• CSU closed the game with a 42-29 second half margin run and held the Hornets to just four field goals on their final 20 attempts over the final 10:53 of the contest.

News and Notes

• Sophomore point guard Dontrell Shuler has scored in double figures each game he's played this season scoring 18 Sunday.
• Phlandrous Fleming Jr. recorded his second double-double of the season scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 boards while hitting 12 crucial free throws to help ice the ballgame.
• CSU hit 10 shots from deep, their most in a single game breaking the mark of seven at Dayton.
• Fleming Jr.'s perfect 12-of-12 day at the stripe gave him career-highs in both free throw attempts and makes while his 12 rebounds were a season-best effort.
• Redshirt-freshman point guard Travis Anderson knocked down four treys for 12 points off the bench, his career-high mark for triples in a single game.

Up Next
Charleston Southern gets a nine-day layoff before returning to action Dec. 3 at Missouri. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT on the SECN+.