CHARLESTON – Tuesday night, Charleston Southern hosted the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs — a team CSU defeated 89–79 on December 31. Looking to complete the season sweep, the Bucs did just that, earning a 75–66 victory in the second matchup.
CSU set the tone early, as A'lahn Sumler and Lase Olalere accounted for the Bucs' first seven points to spark a 7–2 lead. From there, the momentum continued to build. A layup by big man Reis Jones pushed the advantage to 21–11, marking the home team's first double-digit lead of the night. Offensively, Trent Coleman carried the load in the opening half, tying his CSU career high with 12 first-half points. Behind that balanced effort, the Bucs took a 40–28 lead into the locker room.
Coming out of the break, Charleston Southern picked up right where it left off. Sumler opened the second half with a layup to stretch the lead to 14 (42–28), and his ability to finish at the rim remained constant throughout the night as 18 of his 27 points came in the paint.
Midway through the second half, Gardner-Webb made a push with a 15–7 run to trim the deficit. However, the lead never dipped below seven points, allowing the Bucs to stay in control and ultimately secure their 13th win of the season, 75–66.
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Notables:
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A'lahn Sumler led CSU with 27 points – his sixth highest scoring performance of the year.
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Jesse Hafemeister led CSU in rebounding for the fifth time this season, grabbing 11 on Tuesday night.
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Jacob Taylor, who won his third Big South Freshman of the Week honor on Monday, helped the Bucs succeed in all areas vs GWU. Taylor contributed: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
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Trent Coleman tied his CSU career-high of 12 on Tuesday, shooting 4-for-4 from the field.
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Up Next:
On Tuesday, February 21st, the Bucs will host Longwood University – a team they fell to in overtime (79-81) earlier in the season. The contest will tip-off at 4:00 P.M. and is set to be broadcast on ESPN+.
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