CHARLESTON, S.C. - Tuesday night, the Charleston Southern men's basketball team took the court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face off against their first of two SEC opponents this season, the LSU Tigers.
Until Tuesday evening, the two programs had never played one another, and CSU made sure to make the most of their first meeting against the Bayou Bengals.
As the lights were lowered in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center before tip-off, Thompson Camara, a transfer from Frank Phillips College, would hear his name called as part of the Bucs' starting lineup for the first time of his CSU career. Starting alongside RJ Johnson, Daylen Berry, Taje' Kelly, and Reis Jones.
An athletic LSU ball club would have their hands full with the Bucs in the first half as CSU would hold the home-court Tigers to a season-low 29 points. The Bucs' success in the first half was all backed by their reestablished defensive tenacity. CSU shot 25% from deep in the first half and only 36% from the field, but their emphasis on ball security and hard-nosed defense led to a five-point halftime lead.
A slow second half for the Bucs offensively would open the door for LSU to shrink the halftime deficit and take a lead of their own. LSU would shoot almost 63% from the field in the second half, and it seemed as if every 50/50 play went the Tigers way.
A positive effort that kept the Bucs alive the entire 40-minute ball game was their ability to not only rebound the ball, but rebound impressively well offensively. CSU pulled down 18 offensive boards, their highest against a division one opponent all season, against one of the most athletic teams in the SEC.
Despite Daylen Berry's 19 points (career-high) and 12 rebounds (career-high), Taje' Kelly's 15 points and 8 rebounds, and RJ Johnson's 14 points, CSU would not have enough time to close the gap as they'd fall to LSU by only 9 points (77-68).
After almost a full week on the road, the Bucs will play their second home game of the season this Friday against fellow mid-major, South Carolina neighboring program, the Furman Paladins. The game will be hosted at Buccaneer Fieldhouse this Saturday, November 23 at 2 PM.
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