ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Charleston Southern engineered a 16-4 run to put itself in position for a win over first-place UNC Asheville, but the Bulldogs responded with a 17-5 final push to best the Bucs, 63-55, at Kimmel Arena on Wednesday.

PDF Box Score

CSU (8-15, 4-8 Big South) tied the game at 27 apiece at halftime, and then rallied from eight points down to take a 50-46 lead on Aaron Wheeler's driving bank shot with 6:57 remaining. Asheville (16-8, 9-3 Big South) answered with six straight points before assuming the advantage for good on a Dylan Smith layup at the 3:49 mark.

Armel Potter scored eight of his team-high 17 points during the Bucs' surge, knifing his way to the basket for several impressive finishes. Rae Robinson started the spurt with a three-pointer, and added another to push CSU ahead, 48-46. Javis Howard continued a run of strong play with a double-double of 11 points and ten rebounds. CSU out-rebounded Asheville, the Big South's number two rebounding team entering play, 40-34 overall and 14-7 on the offensive glass.

CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh was very pleased with the grit his team showed coming in off a three-game losing streak.

"I was really happy with the fight and spirit our guys showed tonight," Radebaugh said. "We really got down and defended and played with a lot of toughness after a tough stretch. We put ourselves in position to beat the first place team in our league on their floor in the last few minutes, and that's a step forward. We executed well for the most part and got some good shots but just didn't get enough to fall."

Asheville freshmen Dylan Smith (17 points) and Dwayne Sutton (15 points) combined for 32 points to help the Bulldogs stay atop the league standings. Sam Hughes chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Raekwon Miller knocked down a corner three to put Asheville ahead, 42-34, before CSU orchestrated its best sequence of the night. Robinson buried one of his four triples to jumpstart the comeback. Potter drove to the basket for three straight layups, including two with his left hand, to bring the Bucs within a point. Robinson canned a trey from the corner, and Wheeler got a driving attempt to roll in to cap the juncture and vault CSU in front by four.

CSU had two chances to cut Asheville's lead to one possession around the two-minute mark, but jumpers by Robinson and Wheeler fell off the mark. Kevin Vannatta's drive to the hoop gave the Bulldogs a 58-52 cushion with 1:47 left, helping to put the Bucs away. Hughes had a two-handed dunk a minute-and-a-half later as Asheville stayed perfect at home in league play.

CSU returns home on Saturday to play Longwood. Tipoff at the Buc Dome is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.