CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern held Columbia International to 32 percent shooting and overwhelmed the Rams early in the second half to run away with a 105-55 win at the Buc Dome on Thursday night. CSU limited CIU to 1-of-12 shooting to open the second half and extend a 23-point halftime lead to as much as 53 after intermission.

CSU (5-2) was led by 21 points from senior guard Saah Nimley, who also added seven assists and two steals in 24 minutes of action. Arlon Harper chipped in 17, as he and Nimley moved into eighth and ninth place, respectively, on Charleston Southern's career scoring list.

The Bucs out-rebounded the Rams, 47-32, limited them to 32 percent shooting overall and took care of business against an overmatched CIU (1-7) squad to head into an eight-day break from game action for final exams on a high note.

"I was pleased with how we played defensively in the second half," said CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh afterward. "We lost focus at times in the first half, but it can be difficult to guard a five-out, motion offense. I thought the first half was really the Saah and Arlon show. They really got us going in that first half tonight, and we needed that early on."

CSU was able to get plenty of minutes for its bench in the second half, as all 12 players that entered the game reached the scoring column. Freshman Javis Howard posted career-highs with a double-double of 15 points and ten rebounds. Classmate Danny Upchurch recorded eight points and dished out a career-best eight assists, while junior Jabbar Washington added nine points.

"We got some good minutes out of Javis Howard tonight," Radebaugh said. "That was a big step for him. I thought Wesley [Johnson] played really well tonight too. We've been really pleased with him this whole season. It was good to get Jarryd [Coleman] and Jantzen [Raymond] some minutes too, and I was happy with the way our bench played and executed in the second half."

CIU was down only 22-14 following a Daniel Collins layup with 9:27 left in the first half, but CSU outscored the Rams 33-18 the rest of the way to take a 55-32 advantage into the locker room. Nimley tallied 19 points and five assists by halftime, and missed only one shot, going 5-for-6 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three-point range. Harper contributed 14 points and also had three assists, as the Bucs distributed 13 assists on 20 made shots in the first half.

Nimley and Harper each hit a pair of threes in a 1:41 span to push CSU's 16-point cushion to 22 late in the first half. Upchurch chimed in with a triple for the final points of the first half.

CSU put the game away quickly in the second half, frustrating CIU with full-court pressure while forcing several turnovers and harassing shots. Two Howard free throw pushed the Bucs' lead over 30 for the first time of the game, and Reuben King went on a personal 5-0 spurt to send the CSU advantage to 74-38 at the 13:10 mark.

Coleman and Raymond each came through with their first collegiate points late in the game. Coleman connected on a three from deep on the right wing, while Raymond buried two free throws in the final minutes.

CSU is next in action on December 12 at North Carolina State. The N.C. State matchup is the first of a three-game road trip against teams with a current combined record of 20-3.

"We've got to get healthy," Radebaugh said of the stretch in between games. "This eight-day break will be really good for us. The guys will take their finals and be able to rest a little bit. We're 5-2, have played seven games since November 14 and it's piled up quick. There is just some wear and tear on everyone right now, so we need to be smart about how we use this time."