North Charleston, S.C.-The Presbyterian College men's basketball team nearly overcame an 11 point second half Charleston Southern lead with help from three consecutive three pointers from Khalid Mutakabbir in the last minute and eleven seconds of play, but the comeback fell just short and PC lost 76-71.  The Blue Hose continued to fight and threatened multiple times in the second half, including in the last 23 seconds when they were down by two points, but the Bucs held on and came away with the win.

PC was led by Khalid Mutakabbir's (Suwanee, Ga. / Peachtree Ridge H.S) 24 points, while Pierre Miller (Warner Robbins, Ga. / Warner Robbins H.S.) added 19 points, all of which came in the second half.  Jake Troyli (Largo, Fla. / Pinellas Park H.S.) also added 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds for the Blue Hose.  For Charleston Southern, Jamarco Warren had a game-high 22 points and Kelvin Martin added 19 points.  The Bucs advance to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the conference, while PC falls to 8-10 and a 2-4 standing in the Big South.

The Blue Hose hit 23 of 48 field goals for a 47.9 shooting percentage, and hit a blazing 11 three pointers for a 57.9 percentage in the game.  The Bucs outrebounded PC 39 to 27, however, and committed 10 turnovers to PC's 14.

Charleston Southern started the scoring, hitting two early baskets to go up 4-0 to start the game.  A three pointer from Josh Johnson (Hendersonville, Tenn. / Hendersonville H.S.) brought the Blue Hose within one point, and a layup from Troyli at the 17:10 mark gave PC its first lead of the game, going ahead 5-4.  The Bucs quickly tied the score on a free throw, and would then regain the lead at 16:12 off of a basket in the paint. 

Leading 7-5, Charleston Southern then went on a scoring run that would eventually see them leading by as many as 15 with 10:39 left in the half.  PC continued to battle, however, and Troyli then hit a three pointer with under six minutes left to bring PC within nine points, 26-17.

Charleston Southern continued to fight and extended their lead before two free throws from Mutakabbir at 3:29 made the score 30-19.  After a basket by CSU and another pair of PC free throws, Troyli then added his second three pointer of the game to cut the Bucs lead to eight points, 32-24, with 1:33 remaining.

CSU would add another basket in the final minutes, and after PC was unable to convert a possession into points, Charleston Southern regained the ball for the last possession of the half.   A defensive stop for the Blue Hose in the last seconds kept the Bucs from scoring and the score stayed at 34-24 in favor of the home team at the end of the first half.

To start the second half PC quickly put on the pressure and was soon trailing by only five points, 36-31 after Troyli found Walt Allen (London, Ky. / South Laurel H.S.) for a layup under the basket at 18:06.  Charleston Southern answered with a small run of their own, and regained their double digit lead, going up 43-32 with 16:29 remaining in the game.

The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes and CSU stayed firmly in control until a pair of three throws by Troyli and a layup from Miller brought PC within six points with 10:33 left, 50-44.  After a Charleston Southern free throw, the Blue Hose then went on a 4-0 run, capped by a layup from Mutakabbir after Troyli pulled down a huge rebound to make the score 51-48. 

The Bucs answered to regain a six point lead, 54-48, but after making one of two free throws for PC, Miller added a three pointer to threaten Charleston Southern's lead as PC trailed by only two points, 54-52 with 7:20 left in the game.

CSU responded with a three pointer of their own, and again went on a run to extend what would eventually be an 11 point advantage at the 2:41 mark.   But the Blue Hose refused to give in and after the teams each traded baskets, PC used back to back three pointers from Mutakabbir to again cut in the Bucs lead and make it 69-65 with 42 seconds remaining.  Trailing by five after a CSU free throw, the sophomore Mutakabbir again hit from behind the three point line to bring PC within two points with 23 seconds left in the game.

The Bucs were fouled and hit both free throws, and despite Mutakabbir's nine points on three consecutive shots in the last minute and eleven seconds of play, PC was unable to overcome the CSU lead and lost by a final score of 76-71.

The Blue Hose stay on the road and travel to Coastal Carolina for a Saturday, Jan. 15 matchup.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.