3-6
Rider
2-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rider | 42 | 40 | 82 |
| Charleston So. | 34 | 38 | 72 |
Bucs can't overcome slow start in 82-72 loss to Rider
12/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern fell behind by 15 points in the first half and could not rally back in an 82-72 loss to Rider on Saturday at the Buc Dome. CSU trailed by two to three possessions for much of the second half but was unable to get over the home in its first game in a week following a break for final exams.
CSU (3-6, 1-1 Big South) trailed by only four following a Danny Upchurch free throw with 1:34 left, but Rider's (2-8, 0-2 MAAC) Kealen Ives sunk a three-pointer just 20 seconds left to help the Broncs seal the win.
Ives finished with 15 points and four assists and was one of four players to score in double figures, as Rider shot 53 percent from the field. Jimmie Taylor led all scorers with 19 points, while Teddy Okereafor added a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Okereafor notched 14 in the first half to help Rider build a 42-34 halftime lead.
"It was just a tough night for us all the way around," CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh said afterward. "It takes a lot of effort when you're down 12, 13 points to come back. You almost have to play perfect from then on out. I thought there was about a ten minute stretch where we played with good intensity and good focus. We got it to three and kind of lost it from there. It was tough. We've gotta go back to work and get on the practice floor tomorrow and see if we can improve."
CSU shot just 31 percent in the first half, but recovered to shoot 48 percent while knocking down six threes after intermission. Rae Robinson sparked the Bucs again with 14 points, including 11 in the opening 3:20 of the second stanza. Upchurch finished with a career-high 12 points. Demetrius Pollard and Patrick Wallace each scored 11.
Rider's Xavier Lundy reinstated a double-digit advantage with the first basket of the second half, before Robinson found the hot hand for CSU. Robinson missed all five of his first half attempts, but buried four jumpers, including three treys, to energize CSU. His last triple in that run came from the left corner and made it 49-45 with 16:40 remaining.
Rider pushed its lead back out to eight near the midway point of the second half, but CSU scored five quick points to close within three. Javis Howard scored off a steal by Robinson, and then Robinson found Pollard for a trey.
Aided by two steals from Reuben King, CSU strung some stops together late in the half to give itself a chance, but went cold offensively during that stretch as the Broncs prevailed.
Rider hit eight of its first 14 shots to move ahead 27-12 by the 9:36 mark of the opening half. The Broncs entered play shooting just 31 percent from three-point range, but sailed through five of their first 11 to take control. Shawn Valentine, Khalil Alford and Taylor all connected from downtown to give Rider its biggest edge.
Okereafor finished off a 14-point first half with a layup with 1:21 left, only to see CSU reel off a 6-0 spurt to take some momentum into halftime. Upchurch knocked down a three off an offensive rebound by King, and hit a pair of free throws to cap the first half scoring.
CSU is back in action on Monday night against Columbia International. Tipoff at the Buc Dome is set for 7:30 p.m.
