CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College men's basketball team received a season-high 25 points from Al'Lonzo Coleman (Charlotte, N.C.) on Saturday night against Charleston Southern, but a strong second half helped the visiting Buccaneers take the win at Templeton Center, 75-64.
PC moves to 8-13 on the year and 2-9 in Big South Conference play. Charleston Southern improves to 14-7 overall and 8-3 in league action.
Charleston Southern outscored the Blue Hose 49-36 in the second half to overcome a 28-26 PC halftime advantage. Free throws also plagued the Blue Hose, as the squad went 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from the line.
Coleman's 25 points tied the most for a Blue Hose this season, matching Khalid Mutakabbir's (Suwanee, Ga.) 25 points against Cincinnati on November 11.
Pierre Miller (Warner Robbins, Ga.) led PC in rebounds (six) and assists (a season-high four) on the night.
Saah Nimley led Charleston Southern with 16 points and Mathiang Muo went four-for-six from beyond the arc.
Leading 28-26 at the half, Josh Johnson (Hendersonville, Tenn.) continued his hot three-point shooting in the second half with another three and a Josh Clyburn (Charlotte, N.C.) alley-oop from Miller gave the Blue Hose a five-point lead, 35-30, with 17:28 remaining. Coleman added two more points on PC's next trip down the floor with a putback to extend the home team's advantage.
The Buccaneers answered with an 11-4 run, capped by a Kelvin Martin steal and dunk to take a 41-39 lead with 13:45 remaining.
PC caught Charleston Southern less than a minute later as Ryan McTavish (Mt. Airy, Md.) brought the teams to their ninth tie of the night with a trey to make the score 43-43 with 12:44 on the clock.
The Buccaneers put together five points to take a 50-45 lead midway through the half after two McTavish free throws pulled PC even again. Charleston Southern continued to grab slim leads after PC tied the game for the final time at 52-52, and a Mathiang Muo trey gave Charleston Southern a six-point, 60-54 lead with 5:56 remaining.
The Charleston Southern lead swelled to nine after another Muo three-pointer, his fourth of the night, with 3:01 remaining. The Buccaneers rode their advantage to the eventual win, 75-64.
The Blue Hose outrebounded Charleston Southern, 29-25, and scored 30 points in the paint to the Buccaneers' 20.
The Blue Hose turned in an impressive first half, leading 28-26 at the halftime break and holding a 17-12 rebounding margin over the visitors.
PC raced to a 9-3 lead in the opening 3:50, buoyed by four points from Coleman. Charleston Southern recovered and rattled off 12 straight points, but three points from Josh Johnson and another three from Coleman tied up the proceedings, 15-15, with 8:51 left in the opening frame. Johnson went 2-for-3 from beyond the three-point line in the half.
The two sides battled to three more ties down the stretch, finding the scoreboard even at 26-26 with 15 seconds left. PC used its final possession to its advantage, however, as Coleman cashed in on two of his 10 first half points with a layup to send the Blue Hose into the locker room ahead at the break, 28-26.
PC returns to action on Thursday at High Point. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
