CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern continued to roll in conference play, while staying unbeaten at home, in a 73-69 win over the High Point Panthers Thursday, at the CSU Field House. Kelvin Martin and Jeremy Sexton scored 20 points apiece, helping the Bucs to erase a 14 point first half deficit. With the win, CSU improved to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the Big South, while HPU dropped to 9-7 with a 4-2 conference record. The last time a CSU team was .500 or better in Big South play after six games, was during the 2004-05 season.

Martin and Sexton both shot well from the field, boasting 7-15 and 7-12 marks, respectively. After struggling early, Jamarco Warren scored 12 points, all of which were in the second half. Billy Blackmon also contributed with his best outing of the year, scoring six points, while collecting eight rebounds and three blocks. Eugene Harris led the way for the Panthers, with 19 points on 6-11 shooting.

CSU was on the board first with a Sexton layup, but five lead changes in the early minutes gave HPU a 7-8 lead at the 14:51 mark. The Panthers created some separation from there, using a 12-3 run to go up 19-10 midway through the half.

Kelvin Martin narrowed the margin to six with a three point play, that made the score 21-15 with 8:46 on the clock. HPU responded with a 9-1 run however, to take their biggest lead of the game, with a 30-16 advantage. The Bucs managed used the bonus to their advantage, heading to the foul line several times towards the end of the first half.

CSU closed the gap to four on multiple occasions, before two Tom Tankelewicz free throws brought the halftime score to 40-35, with the Panthers holding the edge.

A Nick Barbour three early on in the second frame had HPU up 45-39, but the Bucs surged for a 6-1 run, to get within one. Blackmon capped off the run with a layup that made it a 46-45 score, with 14:55 on the clock. Both teams got multiple defensive stops from there, with the Panthers holding on to a slim advantage.

CSU tied the game at 57-57 and a Jo'el Lamb free throw put the Bucs on top for the first time in the second half, with a 58-57 score. CSU then got six consecutive points from Sexton, as part of a 13-1 run for the Bucs, which stretched over six minutes. Sexton's layup with 2:51 remaining in the game made it a 64-58 CSU advantage.

The Bucs led by as many as seven on a Warren layup at the 1:06 mark, to take control of the game. CSU had free throws from Martin and Lamb, en route to a final 73-69 win.

Next up, CSU will try to stay unbeaten at home when they play host to the Radford Highlanders on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. High Point travels to Coastal Carolina on Saturday, playing in a 2 p.m. contest.