CHICAGO, Ill. – Charleston Southern fell on the road to Loyola Chicago on Tuesday evening by a final score of 72-59. The Buccaneers were led by
A'lahn Sumler who finished with a career-high of 25.
In the first half, the teams went back-and-forth with the lead with the lead changing hands five times. The Bucs were led early by Sumler as he put up 17 points off 5-7 on shots from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.
CSU was able to get a 35-30 lead, the largest margin by either team, late in the first half off a Sumler three. The Rattlers tied it at 36 apiece in the closing seconds, but
Amarion Savage raced down to the court and got off a floating jump shot just inside three-point arc as the buzzer sounded that found the bottom of the net to give them a 38-36 lead going into the break.
In the second half, the hosts started to find their groove on each side of the court to create the needed separation in the game to get the win. As a team, Charleston Southern shot 25% (6-24) from the floor in the second half which allowed the Rambles to create the edge.
Sumler led all players as he finished with 25 on the night.
Taje' Kelly also poured in another great performance as he finished with a double-double, collecting 18 points and 10 rebounds. This marked his fifth double-double and ninth time he has finished in double figures for scoring.
RJ Johnson also reached double digits as he went a perfect 4-4 from the line to score 10 points.
DJ Patrick played an important role on the boards as he brought down seven rebounds and led the team in assists with four.
Reginald Duhart Jr. collected six rebounds during the night.
Loyola Chicago was able to create the biggest difference in the contest with their points in the paint with a margin of 50-18 in the category.
Charleston Southern will return to the Holy City for a single contest left before the Christmas Break looking to get back to their winning ways going into the Holidays. They take on Kentucky Christian on Thursday, December 21 for a noon matchup inside the Buc Dome with it being broadcast live on ESPN+.
