CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern men's basketball earned its first Big South tilt of the season, as Tahlik Chavez knocked down a trey to break a 65-65 tie with 4.6 ticks remaining. Deontaye Buskey converted two from the charity stripe to put High Point away, and the Bucs held on for the 70-66 victory.

WHEN IT MATTERS
Deontaye Buskey showed he is a leader on and off the court in the final minutes of the contest, starting with a steal after two free throws gave the Bucs the one-point lead with 1:12 remaining. The steal led to two more from the charity stripe for the senior to push the advantage to three with 23 ticks left.
 
John-Michael Wright answered right back with a hoop-and-the-harm three-point play as part of his 34-point performance to knot things right back up at 65. A Buskey assist to Chavez for the go-ahead and eventual game-winning three led CSU to their first Big South win on the campaign.

VALUABLE MINUTES 
Taje' Kelly and Kalib Clinton each had huge minutes off the bench for the Bucs, as Kelly started the game with six of the first eight, and Clinton helped the effort with four offensive boards in his first five minutes on the floor.
 
Kelly finished with a career-high eight rebounds to add to his 12 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field, including 2-2 from the stripe. Clinton added a basket with his four offensive boards to propel the Charleston Southern offense.

PUTTIN' ON THE PRESSURE
Charleston Southern held High Point to just 34% shooting from the field in the first half, as they took a 34-23 lead into the midway break. Wright was the lone bright spot for High Point in the first stanza, finishing with 13 points in 18 minutes.
 
The Panthers finished the game 26-60 from the field after a 6-24 mark from three. Charleston Southern was also able to force 11 High Point turnovers, with the Buskey steal being the biggest of the night. CSU found themselves trailing 62-58 with 2:52 to play, but outscored the Panthers 12-4 the rest of the way to hang on in front of the home fans.

IN THE BALANCE
Four different Bucs found double figures in the contest, with Chavez leading the way with 17 points to add to his five boards and five dimes. Buskey was right behind with 14 points off 8-11 from the stripe and Claudell Harris Jr. stayed hot with 13 points. Kelly added all of his 12 points in the first half.
 
The Bucs finished the game with a 40% mark from the field, including a 14-0 advantage on points off the bench. Charleston Southern also earned 11 second chance points and 12 fast break points to add to 22 points in the paint.
 
Charleston Southern picked up 30-plus minutes from Cheikh Faye (30:01), Buskey (35:23), Harris Jr. (40:00) and Chavez (38:08) in their eight-man rotation in the contest.
 
UP NEXT
The Bucs hit the road but stay in the Palmetto State as they find a weekend clash with USC Upstate in their next Big South tilt. The action is set for a 4:00 p.m. tip Saturday, January 22, inside the G.B. Hodge Center.