CHARLESTON, S.C. - R.J. Johnson scored 27 points on Wednesday night; however, that was not enough for the Charleston Southern men's basketball team, as they dropped a non-conference home game to the North Alabama Lions by a 76-64 score. 

The Bucs (3-6) got off to a fast start, as they knocked down four three pointers and jumped out to a 16-8 lead with 13:31 in the first half, but back came the Lions, who outscored Charleston Southern 32-15 the rest of the way. A tip-in from Taje Kelly made it a nine-point game at intermission. 

The Lions lead reached 16 points early on in the second half. With a 17:47 left in the second half, a shot from beyond the arc made it 47-31 in favor of North Alabama. 

The Bucs were able to trim the lead to seven points, as they used a 13-4 run that was capped off by a three pointer from Johnson to make it 63-56 with under five minutes left, but North Alabama led the rest of the way. 

To go along with his 27 points, Johnson was 8/8 at the line and pulled down three rebounds. Kelly led the way on the boards for the Bucs, pulling down 11 rebounds. A'lahn Sumlin and D.J. Patrick both had 11 points. 

After knocking down four three pointers in the first eight minutes of the game, the Bucs finished the night just 31% from beyond the arc and shot 32.3% from the field overall. 

Next Up
The Bucs have a quick turnaround, as they head to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks this Saturday. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. and the game will air on SEC Network+.