CHARLESTON – Friday night, the Charleston Southern Men's Basketball team traveled to Greenville, North Carolina for a match-up with the American Athletic Conference's East Carolina Pirates. CSU would win the battle between the two, pirate-themed Carolina institutions, 77-65.

CSU would never trail in the Friday night contest. The first basket of the game would be scored by the Bucs courtesy of senior big man Reis Jones. A Luke Williams' three-pointer at the 16:55 mark would extend the Buccaneers' opening run to 11-2. Williams, who finished the night with 13 points and 6 assists, returned to play Friday night in Greenville after missing the previous three contests with a broken nose. With slightly over three minutes remaining in half number one, ECU would cut the Buccaneer-lead to 1 after a pair of made free-throws by the Pirates' double-double machine, Giovanni Emejuru. However, CSU would never relinquish the lead they had–and would go on to hold– all night. Going into the half-time intermission, Head Coach Saah Nimley's crew would find themselves up by seven (37-30).

The scoring comparison in the second-half mirrored the first closely – Bucs winning the period 40-35. Charleston Southern's leader in the points column Friday night would be a Buccaneer who is no stranger to buckets this season, Brycen Blaine. Blaine scored 13 of CSU's last 14 points, helping lead his new squad to the 77-65 victory in Minges Coliseum.

Notables:

• Brycen Blaine recorded his fifth 20+ point performance of the season – scoring 23 points, grabbing 12 rebounds (also a team-high) and knocking in 4 of his 8 three-point attempts. 

• Luke Williams would join Blaine in the double-figure scoring column with 13 and a team-high, 6 assists. 

• CSU shot 44% from downtown, but more impressively held East Carolina to an 18% (2-11) clip on the opposite end.

Up Next:

Returning home for their third home contest of the year, the Bucs will host Piedmont College on Tuesday, November 25th at 7:30 PM. The contest is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.

To see a full sit-down conversation with Coach Nimley discussing the Bucs' next opponents and previous game recaps, watch the "2025-2026 Nimley Coaches Show" on CSUsports.com, X/Twitter, or YouTube.

For all the most up-to-date coverage involving CSU Men's Basketball, follow us on Instagram and X/Twitter @csu_mbball.