Behind a stellar second half from senior captain Chris Moore (Morganton, N.C.), who scored 16 of his 22 points in the game's second frame, the Bucs pulled away from the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs en route to an 80-69 victory Saturday night at CSU Field House.

Barclay Radebaugh's squad was eager to put forth a strong performance from the game's outset on this night for a variety of reasons. Among these were a 12 day lay-off due to exams, a heart-breaking 93-92 loss to Mercer the last time that they took the floor and an opponent that had beaten Kentucky and played in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Madison Square Garden earlier this year. The desire for a strong start showed early on, as the Bucs held the lead throughout the first 15 minutes of the game.

Particularly strong for the Bucs in the game's opening period were its duo of Carters, Omar Carter (Charlotte, N.C.) and Shelton Carter (Greensboro, N.C.). Omar started the warmest of all Bucs, hitting two three point attempts in the half's first two minutes to give CSU an early working lead. All told, Omar had 10 points in the first half on three of eight shooting from the field.

Of all the Bucs, though, no player may have been more eager to make a strong impact on this night than Shelton Carter. The sophomore forward returned from a three game suspension and immediately showed his value to the team on this night. In fact, due to some aggressive rebounding and an ability to get open for good looks in the paint, Shelton nearly recorded a double-double in the first half, as he finished with nine points and 10 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. Shelton would get his double-double later, however, as the Greensboro native finished with 16 points and 13 boards.

The first half was not without signs of rust off such a long layoff for the Bucs, however, as the team shot 32.4% in the opening half. The Bulldogs took advantage, lead by freshman forward Nate Blank, who came off the bench to score 10 points, including the final six points of the half for Mark Scruggs' team, giving Gardner-Webb a 32-31 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs once again would hold the edge early in the first half, as strong play from Scruggs' third leading scorer, guard Aaron Linn, pushed the Bulldog advantage to 45-38 five minutes into the half.

From this point, the Bucs would begin to seize control of the game, beginning with a 26-11 run over nine minutes of game time that provided CSU with a 64-56 lead with just 6:46 remaining. The leader of the Buccaneer surge was unquestionably Moore, who had one of his stronger halves from the field in the game's final 20. Gardner-Webb had no answer for CSU's leading scorer, as Moore connected on six of his seven field goal attempts and three of his four three point shots to provide the senior with the aforementioned 16 second half points and 22 points on the game.

Also aiding in the run were freshman point guard Jamarco Warren (Gainesville, Ga.), who both coolly connected on three free throws after being fouled on a shot from the perimeter and who gave the Bucs the lead for good at 55-54, and Marquise Duvall (Columbia, S.C.), who scored five straight CSU points at the end of the run to provide the Bucs with the eight point, 64-56 lead. On the night, the sophomore forward joined teammate Shelton Carter in double-digits in rebounds with 10, while also adding nine points to aid the Charleston Southern cause.

The Bulldogs would continue to hang tough, however, thanks primarily to the play of Linn, who connected on several important jump shots on his way to a 14 point second half and a Gardner-Webb leading 22 point night. Moore and Omar Carter, who was second to Moore in scoring for CSU with 19 Saturday, kept the Bulldogs at an arm's length with several clutch buckets.

With the lead just five at 74-69 with 1:35 remaining, the Buc defense needed to respond in order for Radebaugh's squad to finish off the game. The defense responded in fine fashion, forcing six consecutive misses from Bulldog shooters while limiting second-chance opportunities for Gardner-Webb. On the other end, the Bucs hit their free throws, allowing the final margin at the game's final buzzer to be a comfortable 11 at 80-69.

The Bucs won most statistical battles on the night, outrebounding Gardner-Webb 47 to 38 and committing four fewer turnovers. Warren contributed yet another strong floor game, as the Gainesville, Ga. native had six assists to just one turnover. Though the team was outshot from the field 42.6% to 39.1%, the Bucs made up for it by holding advantages from behind the arc (39.3% to 30.8%) as well as at the charity stripe (Bucs 19-28, 67.9%; Bulldogs 9-17, 52.9%).

The win puts the Bucs back on track and back at .500 at 5-5 on the year. The next test, however, will be one of their stiffest, as on Wednesday the Bucs will travel to do battle with the two-time defending national champion Florida Gators at 7 P.M.