BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Aaron Wheeler tallied a career-high 31 points but Gardner-Webb shot 57 percent and pulled away from Charleston Southern late for an 84-76 win at Paul Porter Arena on Thursday. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU.

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CSU (9-18, 5-11 Big South) started the second half with a 7-0 spurt to take a 44-43 advantage in a contest that featured 22 lead changes and six ties. The Bucs still led with 8:45 left and were within three with 5:26 remaining, but Gardner-Webb (14-14, 9-7 Big South) engineered a 10-0 run to push its edge to 13 points, and survived several late turnovers to hold on.

Dylan Poston sunk back-to-back threes during the pivotal run, and paced five GWU players in double figures with 17 points. Isaiah Ivey (16 points) and Adonis Burbage (13 points) also hit three treys apiece for the Runnin' Bulldogs. GWU connected on 13-of-26 tries from beyond the arc.

Wheeler notched 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go over the 30-point mark for the first time in his career. Armel Potter keyed the Bucs early in the second half, and recorded 13 of his 17 points after intermission. CSU shot 50 percent in the opening stanza but was limited to just 36 percent in the second.

"I thought we got to a point where we ran out of gas a little bit and made some defensive mistakes that cost us," CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh said afterward. "Credit to Gardner-Webb because they made some big shots to create some distance. We competed hard and were right there most of the game but didn't do what we needed to the last few minutes. It's back to work to get ready for a quick turnaround and Campbell on Saturday."

Down 43-37 at halftime, CSU scored seven points in the opening 2:06 of the second half to surge ahead. Wheeler drove for a bank shot, and Potter netted two free throws and a three from the right arc during that spurt. The lead changed hands 12 times over the ensuing eight minutes.

Potter gave the Bucs a jolt by accounting for 13 of their first 15 points of the second stanza. He knocked down a pair of threes, and found Patrick Wallace for a triple of his own to highlight that sequence.

GWU took the lead for good on Laquincy Rideau's drive at the 8:26 mark. Poston sandwiched two long threes around scores by Rideau and Ivey to quickly stake GWU to a 76-63 lead with 3:10 remaining.

CSU scrambled its way back into the game with an 8-0 rally, capped by Wheeler's steal and two-handed dunk. Wheeler had a steal and a lay-in just moments before that, as the Bucs pressure appeared to rattle the Runnin' Bulldogs. Following a GWU timeout, though, Burbage drilled a corner three to up the lead back to eight with 1:18 left, and CSU never closed closer than seven over the final minute-plus.

A fast-paced and mostly foul-free first half dictated an up-and-down tempo, as both sides shot over 50 percent. CSU and GWU both shot only 35 percent in the first meeting between the two teams in Charleston on January 30.

Reuben King opened the scoring for CSU with a layup, and the Bucs attacked the GWU zone with success early, hitting five consecutive shots at one point. Rae Robinson swished through his first two three-point attempts of the night, and Javis Howard had a put back in traffic, to help CSU in the early going.

GWU got off to a hot start from downtown, drilling 8-of-16 attempts in the first half. Tyrell Nelson (6 points) was held quiet in the scoring column, but had four first half assists and three times set up Runnin' Bulldog threes after the Bucs applied a double team.

Treys from Rideau and Ivey sparked a 7-0 GWU run that accounted for a 34-27 lead with 4:38 on the first half clock.

Wheeler scored on an array of drives throughout, but stepped out to the perimeter and knocked down two threes late in the half to keep CSU close. He entered with just eight made threes for the entire season. Wheeler's previous career high of 22 points came on January 27 of this year against Winthrop.

CSU concludes its home schedule on Saturday against Campbell. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Bucs will recognize seniors Reuben King, Jabbar Washington and Aaron Wheeler prior to the start.