CHARLESTON – Saturday afternoon, the Charleston Southern men's basketball program hosted the Longwood Lancers. In a game that featured multiple momentum swings and two extra periods, the Lancers ultimately secured a 107–96 double-overtime victory.

Earlier this season, on January 23, the Buccaneers and Lancers battled for 45 minutes before Longwood escaped with a narrow 81–79 overtime win. Saturday's matchup proved to be just as tightly contested—if not more dramatic.

To begin the afternoon, neither squad found much rhythm offensively. However, a key momentum shift came when Lase Olalere slammed home Charleston Southern's 20th point to give the Bucs a 20–15 advantage. Moments later, three-pointers from Nate Brafford, A'lahn Sumler, and Jesse Hafemeister pushed the Buccaneers to their first double-digit lead of the game, 31–20. By halftime, Charleston Southern had built a 40–28 cushion and appeared firmly in control.

Coming out of the break, though, Longwood responded. The Lancers trimmed the deficit to four early in the second half, threatening to erase CSU's advantage. In response, back-to-back three-pointers from Armari Carraway restored a double-digit lead, as the Bucs went ahead 67–57 with 8:39 remaining.

Still, Longwood refused to go away. Down the stretch, the Lancers cut the deficit to a single possession at 75–73. Sumler answered with a step-back jumper to stretch the margin to four with three minutes left (77–73). After a Longwood layup made it a two-point game again, Sumler scored once more to give CSU a 79–75 edge with 2:07 to play. A three-pointer from Redd Thompson Jr. sliced the gap to one (79–78), and Emmanuel Richards followed by knocking down two free throws to give the Lancers an 80–79 lead with roughly 30 seconds remaining.

The drama only intensified in the final seconds. Sumler converted a layup to put CSU back in front, 81–80, but Longwood answered to reclaim the lead at 82–81. With under six seconds left, Sumler drove the length of the court and was fouled on a shot attempt. Trailing by one with two free throws, he made one of two to tie the game at 82 with 1.9 seconds remaining. Longwood's half-court heave fell short, sending the contest into overtime.

In the first overtime period, Jacob Taylor gave CSU an 85–84 lead with an offensive rebound and putback. Shortly after, Taylor assisted Olalere to extend the advantage to 88–86 with 2:01 to play. A Hafemeister three-pointer stretched the lead to five (91–86), but once again, the Lancers battled back. With under a minute remaining, Thompson Jr. was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to tie the game at 91 with 27.6 seconds left.

Brafford then connected with Olalere on an alley-oop to give the Bucs a 93–91 edge, and Charleston Southern called timeout with 20.8 seconds remaining. However, with two seconds to go, a foul sent Longwood to the free-throw line. The Lancers converted both attempts, forcing a second overtime.

In double overtime, turnovers, fouls, and timely Longwood baskets proved costly for Charleston Southern. The Lancers capitalized down the stretch, pulling away to secure the 107–96 victory in a hard-fought conference clash.
 

Notables:

• Six Buccaneers would score 9 or more points, including: A'lahn Sumler (29), Lase Olalere (17), Jacob Taylor (12), Nate Brafford (11), Jesse Hafemeister (9), and Armari Carraway (9).

• Olalere's 17 points is a new career-high for the redshirt-sophomore big man.

• In addition to his 29 points, Sumler would add 11 boards and 10 assists – securing the first CSU triple-double since Phlandrous Fleming Jr. in March of 2020.

• Three Bucs would play 40 or more minutes (Nate Brafford - 43, Jesse Hafemeister - 42, and A'lahn Sumler- 41) for the first time since January 15, 2025 at Winthrop.

Up Next:

On Thursday, February 26th, the Bucs will host Winthrop University – a team they fell to earlier in the season, 77-81. The contest will tip-off at 7:00 P.M. and is set to be broadcast on ESPN+. With it being the final men's basketball home game of the season, Thursday will serve as Senior Night for the Buccaneer program.

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