The Presbyterian College men's basketball closed out the 2014 home season with an 86-47 loss to Charleston Southern tonight at the Templeton Center, in Clinton, S.C.  CSU hit 11 three-pointers on the night, compared to two for the Blue Hose in the Big South Conference tilt.

PC falls to 6-23 overall and 2-12 in the Big South, while CSU improves to 12-15, 6-8.  The Blue Hose are next in action Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Coastal Carolina.  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Leading the Bucs was Will Saunders, who had 17 points, most of them coming off a five-of-eight effort from the perimeter.  He also posted a team-leading nine rebounds.  Alhaji Fullah recorded 14 points, with Arlon Harper behind with 11 on the night.  CSU shot 49.3% for the game, and were 52.4% (11-21) from long range.

Downing led PC with 17 points, followed by 10 from Ed Drew.  William Truss paced the team with eight rebounds.  The Blue Hose shot 39.2% from the field and were 40.7% in the second half.  PC was just two-of-11 in three-pointers.

CSU out-rebounded PC, 41-28 and had seven less turnovers, 10-17, with the Bucs scoring 18 points off those miscues, compared to just 10 for the Blue Hose.

Charleston Southern hit four of its first five baskets, including two from long range, to open the first have with a 12-14 lead.  The Blue Hose responded by hitting their next two of three, five coming from Downing, to quickly cut the margin to three, 12-9, at the 14:02 mark.  The Bucs answered with an 8-2 run to take a nine-point, 20-11, lead heading into the 12-minute media timeout.

After Truss made it an eight-point game, the Bucs outscored PC, 7-2, to extended their lead to 15, 29-14, with 8:01 on the clock.

The Bucs went into the locker room with their largest lead of the half, 19, 39-20, the last three points coming off a Paul Gombwer perimeter shot with 47 seconds to go.

PC trailed by 23 early in the second half by a Downing layup and two free throws from Drew helped the Blue Hose cut the lead to 19.  That would be as close as PC would get as the Bucs built a 25-point lead, 58-33 14:18 to go, helped in part to three-pointers from Sheldon Strickland, Matt Kennedy and Saunders.

Leading by 22 with 10:25 to go, the Bucs went 10-of-14 from the field over the next eight minutes, to open up a 42-point, 86-44 lead.  During the same span PC hit just three-of-10 from the field, including missing the last five during the stretch.

A Markus Terry free throw and a Downing jumper proved to be the last points the final two minutes with CSU taking the 86-47 win.