CHARLESTON, S.C. – Tahlik Chavez was the lone Buc in double-figures with 17, but Tennessee State had the answer in the form of Dedric Boyd who had a game-high 26 with 19 of those coming in the closing stanza. Boyd's strong offensive output was enough to lead the visiting Tigers over Charleston Southern Thursday evening, 78-75, inside of Buccaneer Fieldhouse.
 
STARTING OUT HOT
The Charleston Southern offense was on full display in front of the home fans in the early going, as Chavez and Ja'Quavian Florence found success from three-point land to lead a quick 10-1 charge to open the contest.
 
Chavez would then knock down another trey with 6:42 to play in the first half to extend the Buccaneer lead to their largest of the contest at 17, but Tennessee State would finish the half on a 15-5 run to bring it to just seven.
 
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Charleston Southern (3-7) enjoyed a 41-point output in the first half, including 7-19 from beyond the arc that translated to a seven-point lead at the midway break. Chavez was the only player in double-figures for either side as he laid claim to five of the seven treys for the Bucs.
 
The closing stanza saw Tennessee State (4-6) outscore the Bucs 44-34 behind just under 60% shooting from the field. The Tigers answered the CSU barrage of treys with six of their own in the second half with Boyd knocking down five of the visitors' six.
 
LATE GAME SITUATIONS
The is the second contest they Bucs have been in where the outcome was determined in the final 1:30 of the contest. CSU saw things fall its way at Tarleton State after trailing by one with just over a minute and a half to play and found themselves in a similar spot this time out.
 
Tennessee State was able to force three turnovers on the final three Charleston Southern possessions to best the home team, outscoring the Bucs 9-3 in the final two minutes of the affair.
 
UNABLE TO HANG ON
Charleston Southern held the lead for the entire first half plus over ten minutes of the closing stanza, as the Bucs led for 32:27, compared to just 6:04 in favor of Tennessee State.
 
The Tigers took their first lead of the game with a Boyd trey at the 9:23 mark in the final 20:00, and the final nine minutes would be played back-and-forth as neither team would lead by more than three the rest of the way.

UP NEXT
Charleston Southern will have the weekend off before the travel across town to take part in the Cobb Hill & Hammett Classic, hosted by The Citadel. The Bucs will take on Manhattan Monday, December 20 in a 7:00 p.m. tip and be back in action the next day as they see South Carolina State to finish up their play in the month of December. That contest is slated for a 5:00 p.m. and will conclude play in the Classic.
 
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