CHARLESTON, S.C. - Senior guard Jamarco Warren scored 20 points to lead the CSU men's basketball team to a 72-61 win over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at the Buc Dome that, combined with UNC Asheville's win over Coastal Carolina, kept the Bucs in the race for a home playoff game.

CSU moves to 16-14 overall and 9-8 in the Big South, and with tonight's win are in fourth place in the conference. The top four teams will host BSC playoff games on March 1. Gardner-Webb falls to 4-12 (9-20 overall) and though in ninth place, the Bulldogs will claim the eight playoff seed as Presbyterian is not eligible for the postseason.

Warren, who was named the BSC Player of the Week on Monday, marked his third straight game with 20 or more points. He shot 50 percent from the field and went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. He also dished out three assists on the night. Sexton knocked down four shots from downtown and added in another four points to put up 16 on the night. Martin notched another double-double with 14 points a team-high 12 rebounds, while Kenny Mitchell went 4-for-5 from the field and 2-of-3 at the line for 10 points as well. Martin also added in four blocks and a team-high three steals.

CSU held a slim advantage in rebounding at 31-30, and shot 42.6 percent from the field. They sunk 7-of-12 from beyond the arc for 58.3 percent, and made 23-of-29 from the charity stripe for 79.8 percent. Though they turned the ball over more times than the Runnin' Bulldogs (10-8) they were able to capitalize on the GWU miscues with 15 points off of turnovers.

Three Gardner-Webb players finished the night in double figures, with Moore's 16 points leading the way. Luke Engelken put up 15 and Laron Buggs added in 11. Santoine Butler and Stefon Johnson each grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Gardner-Webb shot 23-of-54 for 42.6 percent, and sunk 7-of-18 shots from downtown. They shot 61.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Martin started things off with a quick layup but the Runnin' Bulldogs tied things up almost immediately. The two teams traded buckets for the first five minutes game, with a pair of free-throws by Butler giving GWU a four-point lead. A 3-pointer from Chris Grier cut the deficit to one, but two points from Josh Henley brought it back to three.

It remained a one possession game in favor of Gardner-Webb until a jumper from Kenny Mitchell put the Bucs in front 15-14. However, his efforts were negated by a lay up from Engelken that put the Runnin' Bulldogs ahead. The Bucs were able to tie it up two more times before starting a furious rally with four minutes to go in the half. Warren alone put up 10 points, including a 3-point play, while Martin sunk two free-throws to give the Bucs a 34-27 halftime lead.

Gardner-Webb started the second half off with a 5-2 run before Martin hit the free-throw line to pick up two for the Bucs, keeping them ahead by four. The Bucs did not make a field goal for the first seven minutes of the game until Warren finally sunk a 3-pointer with 12:56 remaining to give CSU its first bucket from the field. However, Charleston Southern found plenty of success at the free-throw line, going 5-of-8 at the charity stripe in the opening minutes of the second half.

A layup from Warren with 11:40 left go put the CSU advantage into double figures at 44-34 before Moore sunk a three to cut it back down to seven soon after. Sexton struck back with a trio of treys, putting the Bucs ahead by 14 with 8:40 to go in the game. A trip to the free-throw line by Matt Kennedy was combated by a trey from Moore, but Martin was able to stretch the CSU advantage to 15 with a layup.

A long jumper from Mitchell added to the lead, but Moore was fouled attempting a three and went 2-for-3 to cut the GWU deficit to 14. A fast break layup from Engelken moments later brought the Bulldogs within 10, and Buggs was able to bring it down further at the line to make it a nine point game. A 3-pointer by Engelken made is 59-53 in favor of the Bucs with 2:35 to go.

A jumper from Kennedy put the Bucs' lead back into double figures, but it was quickly cut down with a bucket from Buggs with just under a minute to go. Warren and Martin combined for four points, but the Runnin' Bulldogs were able to sink a three to keep it a nine-point game. Martin was fouled on a fast break layup and was able to convert on the 3-point play to stretch the lead to 14. GWU was able to sink one more three, but was not able to overcome the deficit as the Bucs took the 72-61 win.

The Bucs will conclude the regular season when they host in-state rival Coastal Carolina on Saturday at the Buc Dome. The men will play the second half of a double header, with tipoff set for 4:30

CSU vs. GWU Postgame