Box Score CHARLESTON, S.C. - Friday evening, during the quarterfinal round of the Big South Tournament, the #7 Charleston Southern Buccaneers would take on the #2 UNC Asheville Bulldogs for the third time of the overall season.

The two teams played once in January (Jan. 25) and once in February (Feb. 15), with the Bulldogs winning both match-ups by a combined 11 points. In the past four years, the Bucs have faced Asheville in either the first or quarterfinal rounds of the Big South Tournament. In the 2021-2022 post season match-up, true freshman (at the time) Taje' Kelly secured the win with a put back tip in buzzer beater.

This season, the top two performers in all of the Big South Conference would be on the floor, 2024-2025 Player of the Year Taje' Kelly and Player of the Year Runner-Up, Asheville's Jordan Marsh. 

The first half, more specifically the first 16 minutes of the game, was ultra-close between CSU and UNCA with the Bucs holding the lead for a majority of the period. A layup by the Bulldogs' Josh Banks would send Charleston Southern to the halftime locker room down 6 points (32-38).

A 10-2 run in favor of Asheville would be the way the game's second half would open up. 15 points by Asheville's Toyaz Solomon in the second half was a performance that proved to be hard to return from.

CSU would see an increased amount of offensive production from true freshman, Anthony Gause who would tie Taje' Kelly as the best CSU performer in the scoring column that night (11 points). In addition to Gause, Taje' Kelly would add 11 points and 8 rebounds to his legacy as a Buccaneer. RJ Johnson entered the game with 991 points in a CSU uniform, he scored 10 versus Asheville, stamping himself as the newest member in the Buccaneer 1,000 point club. Lamar Oden Jr. and Daylen Berry were also at the doorstep of double-figure territory with 9 points a piece.

The Buccaneers would lose to UNC Asheville 60-80, ending the Bucs' 2024-2025 season. The official first year of the Head Coach Saah Nimley era was a gauntlet. A win over the Miami Hurricanes, a roster plagued by injuries, a spot in the historic Greenbrier Resort's first Tipoff event, a conference Player of the Year award winner, and so many memories in between was concluded Friday evening in Johnson City, Tennessee at the 2024-2025 Big South Basketball Championship tournament.

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