Charleston, S.C. - Charleston Southern went back to the CSU Field House Saturday, after playing well vs. Virginia Tech at the North Charleston Coliseum, only to be met by the UNC Asheville Bulldogs and a 76-65 loss. The Buccaneers never could find a rhythm on their home court, as they shot 29 percent from behind the arc and struggled with a 6-16 effort at the line. Despite the poor shooting, CSU did put four players in double figures and would have had a shot late in the game, had it not been for some clutch foul shots from the Bullldogs. With the loss, the Bucs dropped to 5-7 on the season and 1-1 in the Big South. UNC Asheville improved to 5-8 with a 2-1 mark in the conference.

Jamarco Warren played solid, leading the team with 19 points and 3 assists, including four threes. Tovi Bailey provided a spark late in the game and finished with 15 points. Giedrius Knysas continued to play well while Billy Blackmon is sidelined due to injury. Knysas had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds on 5-5 shooting. Rounding out the leading scorers was Kelvin Martin, who had 10 points, all of which came in the second half.

The Bulldogs were first on the board with a free throw, but CSU quickly responded with an Omar Carter three, to take an early 3-1 lead. That was the only lead the Bucs would have in the game, although it was a two point margin for much of the first half. Both teams buckled down on defense, but Warren found the basket with a layup that put the score at 9-11 with 10:22 left in the half. From that point, UNCA went on an 8-1 run over next two minutes to extend their lead to nine.

Another Carter triple cut the deficit to three with a 17-20 score and 6:40 on the clock. The Bulldogs however, would end the first half with a 14-7 run on route to a 34-24 lead heading into the locker room.

The second half did not start out as planned for CSU, as UNCA took their biggest lead of the game after an 11-4 run. Bailey got things rolling with a three that put the score at 38-51 with 10:48 left in the game. The Bulldogs led by as many as 19 before a 9-0 run from the Bucs, capped off by a Martin steal and dunk. Martin's basket put the score at 47-57 with 6:39 on the clock, but CSU couldn't use the momentum to get much closer.

A three from Warren and three consecutive driving layups from Bailey gave the Bucs a shot in the end, but the Bulldogs hit their foul shots down the stretch and never led by less than eight. The buzzer went off with a 76-65 final score that moved CSU's Big South record to .500.

UNCA also had four players in double figures, but had a huge night from Reid Augst, who had 24 points on 8-11 shooting to lead all players. The Bulldogs shot just under 50 percent for the game and out-rebounded CSU 42-36.

The Bucs head into the bulk of their conference schedule next, but will stay at home to host the high scoring VMI Keydets on Monday, January 5th, for a 7:30 contest.