CHARLESTON – The Charleston Southern men's basketball team opened the 2025–26 season in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a 7:00 PM tip-off against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite showing upset potential and trailing by just four at halftime, the Buccaneers fell to the ACC opponent, 98–67.

The first points of the season came from a Jesse Hafemeister three-pointer. Hafemeister, a transfer from Division III Catholic University, is no stranger to success from deep as he made 135 three-pointers during his career there. CSU's second field goal came from another newcomer, Brycen Blaine. The Virginia native shined in his home state, scoring 22 points during his Buccaneer debut and delighting several family members in attendance. Just moments after his first basket, Blaine buried another three to tie the game at 11–11.

Captain and key returner A'lahn Sumler made his long-awaited return to action—605 days since his last game—scoring his first points of the evening at the 13:40 mark. His backcourt mate, Luke Williams, earned the starting point guard nod from Head Coach Saah Nimley and made an immediate impact. Williams hit a left-wing three to extend CSU's lead to 19–15, marking the 1,500th point of his collegiate career.

Senior forward Reis Jones provided an interior spark, slamming home several dunks and finishing with an efficient 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, Sumler drilled a deep three from the Virginia Tech logo to cut the deficit to four (38–34). Moments later, Lase Olalere ignited the CSU bench by swatting a Hokie layup attempt into the cheerleader section.

After shooting just 30% from beyond the arc last season, CSU impressed in the first half with an 8-for-15 mark from three (53.3%). The second half, however, proved less kind to the Buccaneers. CSU hit only three of its 16 three-point attempts after the break and managed just 29 points over the final 20 minutes, ultimately falling 98–67 in the season opener.
 

Notables:

• The Bucs recorded 19 assists during Monday's contest which was 7.5 assists higher than their 11.5 team average last season.

• Luke Williams would record his 1,500th Career Point during the first half of Monday's contest.

• A'lahn Sumler would suit up for the first time in 605 days and record his 500th Career Point. Sumler finished with a team-third, 13 points Monday night.

• Sumler would also record a team-high 9 rebounds - tying his career-high in the category.

• Brycen Blaine would lead all players in the scoring column with 22 – the most all-time by a Buccaneer in their debut.

• The 22-point outing for Blaine also marked a new career-high for the redshirt-junior.

• Reis Jones, who only scored 15+ points in two contests last season, began the new year with a 15-point, 5-rebound outing.

• The transfer-guard duo of Luke Williams and Jaquias Franklin would combine for 9 assists with only a combined 3 turnovers.

Post-Game Points:

"Credit to (Virginia) Tech… Once they felt how much they could sway the game physically; they really imposed their will… We battled in the first half… I don't think we executed well offensively the whole game. We just made some shots early, but our execution was pretty poor. I thought our defensive effort and intensity was there… It was a good experience for this new team to figure out how this thing works," said Head Coach Saah Nimley.

When asked about Brycen Blaine's 22-point outing in his home state, Coach Nimley commented, "Brycen is dangerous… He has good juice to him, he has good strength, he can dribble, pass, and shoot. He has to have better discipline… there's probably a couple shots out there that he shouldn't have taken. That's just something we're going to continue to work through… He works hard. He's a great kid, and we're really happy to have him."
 

Up Next:

After beginning the year with Virginia Tech of the ACC, Charleston Southern will host Division II, Toccoa Falls on Thursday evening for their home opener. The game will begin at 7:00 PM and is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+

To see a full sit-down conversation with Coach Nimley discussing the Bucs' next opponents and previous game recaps, watch the "2025-2026 Nimley Coaches Show" on CSUsports.com, X/Twitter, or YouTube.

For all the most up-to-date coverage involving CSU Volleyball, follow us on Instagram and X/Twitter @csu_mbball.