TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Charleston Southern staged a spirited rally from a 14-point second half deficit to close within three with 7:54 left before falling to Florida State, 58-47, at the Tucker Center on Friday night. CSU held Florida State to 32 percent shooting in the second half, 37 percent overall and out-rebounded the Seminoles – one of the biggest teams in the country, 40-34, in the loss.

CSU (3-2) trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, by 12 at halftime and was behind 36-22 early in the second half. The Bucs responded with a 14-3 run behind Saah Nimley's dribble penetration and two big three-pointers from classmate Paul Gombwer. Nimley found Cedrick Bowen for an alley-oop dunk to cap the charge and give the Bucs a chance at their second win over a power conference opponent this month. Florida State (3-3) held CSU scoreless for the ensuing 5:10 of game time, though, rattling off ten straight points to hang on for the win.

Florida State freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes tallied a game-high 16 points. No other Seminoles reached double figures scoring, as CSU's zone limited FSU to 16-of-43 shooting and a 2-of-16 effort from three-point range.

CSU struggled offensively against a Florida State team with three 7-footers and six players 6-8 or taller.  Freshman Danny Upchurch scored five straight points during a first half spurt en route to a career-high 10 points, stepping up in place of an injured Arlon Harper. Nimley added 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out six assists – several during the Bucs' second half comeback bid. Gombwer grabbed a team-high ten rebounds, Will Saunders chipped in eight and CSU out-rebounded Florida State, 40-34, including 15-8 on the offensive glass.

CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh was enthused by the fight and resolve his team displayed after shooting just 5-of-25 in the first half. The Bucs scrapped and hustled for loose balls all night long, twice forcing tie-ups with two of the Noles' seven-footers.

"I give a lot of credit to Florida State because they played with a lot of effort and really affected us offensively with their size and length," Radebaugh said. "We missed some open shots and didn't execute well at times but I loved the effort our guys gave. They didn't give in at all, and I really like our group. To be able to beat Ole Miss and come in here and compete says a lot about our guys and what we can become if we keep working."

Florida State took control of the game with a 12-0 run to open up a 29-14 lead late in the first half. The Seminoles held the Bucs scoreless for over seven minutes during the stretch, until Nimley connected on a three at the first half buzzer. FSU pushed it 29-17 lead to 14 in the opening stages of the second stanza, before CSU put together its best offensive stretch of the night on a 14-3 run.

Nimley started the surge with a layup, and registered four of his six assists in the span of 2:36. He hit freshman Javis Howard for a two-handed dunk, and twice set up Gombwer for triples in front of the Bucs' bench. Nimley wreaked havoc off the crossover dribble to punctuate the juncture, floating a pass for Bowen and another two-handed stuff.

Florida State's Robbie Berwick buried a trey on the ensuing possession, however, jumpstarting a 10-0 Noles' run to put the game away. Rathan-Mayes gave FSU a double-digit lead for good with a foul line jumper to make the advantage 47-36 at the 4:10 mark. CSU kept competing to the final seconds, with Upchurch dropping in a pull-up jumper and Nimley knocking down an off-balance three while being fouled. Nimley played 39 minutes and did his best to set up open shots for teammates against Florida State's length and athleticism.

CSU never led but did hang in the game despite shooting 5-of-25 from the field and 4-of-16 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Saunders hit a pair of threes in the first half, and Upchurch added a triple and two free throws in a strong 31-minute showing off the bench.

CSU returns to the Buc Dome on Monday to face Western Carolina. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.