CHARLESTON – On Black Friday, Charleston Southern traveled to Columbia, South Carolina for a 4:00 PM match-up against the South Carolina Gamecocks.Â
With 8:50 remaining in the first-half, the Buccaneers would find themselves down by 11 (20-9). In the following five minutes, CSU would go on a 17-4 run to claim the 26-24 lead. Of those 17 points, 12 would be scored by Brycen Blaine – CSU's leading scorer and the number one scorer in the nation with 210 so far this season. Despite the Bucs shooting a below average 21% in the game's first period from three-point range, South Carolina would hold the slim 30-28 lead heading into the halftime locker room.
In the second-half, the Gamecocks would never go on an extended scoring run, but would not allow the Buccaneers to build any consistent momentum either. In the last 10:52 of the ball game, SC's Elijah Strong would score 20 of his 22 points Friday afternoon. The lead that was only 2 at the half, grew to 12 by the contest's conclusion – South Carolina winning 74-62.
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Notables:
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CSU's point guard, Luke Williams would lead the Bucs in rebounding with 7.
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Brycen Blaine would lead all scorers with 23 – shooting 9/21 from the floor.
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A'lahn Sumler and Jesse Hafemeister joined Blaine in the double-figure scoring column with 14 and 10 points respectively.
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Reis Jones continued his rim-protecting dominance with 3 blocks in only 14 minutes of playing time.
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Up Next:
CSU will face the UT-Martin Skyhawks on Tuesday, December 2nd in Martin, Tennessee. It is the first time CSU has ever played a basketball game in Martin as the first match-up between the two institutions was last season in Charleston. The game is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ at 11:00 AM EST.
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.
