CHARLESTON –  Friday night, Charleston Southern took the floor in Farmville, Virginia, for a battle with the Longwood Lancers. Longwood would win the contest on its home floor in overtime, 81–79.

Trent Coleman earned his first starting lineup nod of the season, and just 63 seconds into the contest, he scored the game's first basket. Following the Coleman bucket, the Lancers began to find their rhythm offensively. After Longwood stretched the lead to seven (19–12) a little more than ten minutes into the ballgame, the Bucs closed the gap, tying things up at 19–19.

Unfortunately for CSU, the Bucs managed just three more points over the final nine minutes of the half, entering the halftime locker room down 18 (40–22).

A hot start to the second half allowed the Buccaneers to cut the deficit to single digits with 15:51 remaining (45–36), courtesy of an A'lahn Sumler three-pointer. On the following possession, a Brycen Blaine triple trimmed the gap to two possessions (45–39), forcing a Longwood timeout.

Down by 10 with 3:39 to go (63–53), the Bucs refused to let go, scoring nine of the game's next 11 points to pull within three (65–62). Jesse Hafemeister drew a foul with 42 seconds left and converted both free throws to make it 65–64. Two made free throws by Longwood's Elijah Tucker gave the Lancers a three-point advantage (67–64), before a one-legged three-pointer by Sumler tied the score and sent the contest to overtime at 67–67.

Overtime remained close throughout the five-minute period, with neither team gaining more than a three-point edge. Hafemeister gave CSU a 79–77 lead, but the Bucs would not score again. Two Lancer free throws followed by a layup from Jaylen Benard sealed the deal in Farmville, as Longwood escaped with an 81–79 victory.

Notables:

• A'lahn Sumler scored 30 points for the second time in the past three games, scoring 30 points and dishing out a team-high 9 assists.

• Brycen Blaine would join Sumler in the 20+ scoring column, scoring 20 points and grabbing a team-high 9 boards.

• Trent Coleman received his first starting line-up appearance as a Buccaneer, shooting 50% from the field and scoring the game's first points with a made three-pointer.

• Jesse Hafemeister recorded his highest scoring game in the Big South, scoring a team-third 17 points.

• Lase Olalere would record a career-high 4 blocks in only 21 minutes of playing time.

Up Next:

Charleston Southern will be back at home on January 29th when they host the Radford Highlanders at 7:00 PM in the Buc Dome. The game is scheduled to be 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.