CHARLESTON, S.C. – Interim Head Coach Saah Nimley wasted no time getting his first win as a head coach as his Bucs were able to hang on for a 66-64 win over visiting South Carolina State Saturday evening at the Buc Dome.

SUCCESS FROM THE FIELD
Charleston Southern had its most successful shooting performance from the field thus far this season, shooting 51% from the field. The first stanza saw the Bucs shoot 10-19 from the field, including 2-5 from three and 5-10 from the stripe while the second stanza followed that up with a 13-26 showing from the field with 3-9 from three.

NUMBERS ALL AROUND
It was a full team effort Saturday night as three different Bucs found double figures. RJ Johnson led the way with 21 points on 8-16 shooting from the field. A'lahn Sumler came up big down the stretch as well, finishing the contest with 19 points, eight of those coming from the charity stripe in 10 attempts. Taje' Kelly got his as well, as he finished with 11 points to add to seven boards. Reginald Duhart Jr. saw extended minutes tonight as well and collected 10 rebounds to lead CSU in the category as a result.
 
DEFENSE MAKES NOISE
Charleston Southern not only found success on the offensive side of the ball, but they also made noise on the defensive side as well holding the Bulldogs to just 38% shooting from the field. The Bucs also held South Carolina State to just 27% from three. South Carolina State pulled down 19 offensive rebounds, but it again was the CSU defense that was able to hang on with a big last-second stop to seal the win.
 
MINUTES IN THE BOOK
Charleston Southern received minutes from nine different players, while all five starters contributed at least 23 minutes in the contest. Johnson led the way in that department, standing as one of just four Buccaneers to play at least 30 minutes with a season-high 38. Sumler, Kelly and Duhart Jr. were the other three Bucs to reach the 30-minute mark.
 
LATE-GAME STRETCHES
After a Johnson layup with 9:32 remaining in the contest tied it up at 49 apiece, Charleston Southern went on a 9-0 run spanning over four minutes of game time to go up nine. The Bulldogs wouls make it an eight-point game with a free throw before a huge Duhart Jr. slam on the other end pushed the advantage to a game-high ten and gave the Bucs enough cushion to hang on. A lane violation by CSU gave South Carolina State one more shot at it with under ten seconds left, but the Bulldogs were not able to find the cup after traveling the length of the floor. 

UP NEXT
The Bucs return to the Buc Dome for their next affair, as they host North Alabama Wednesday, December 13. The meeting will stand as the first time the two programs will see each other and the action is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip.