Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, SportsCSU runs past The Citadel, 88-69

CSU Release

The Charleston Southern men's basketball team placed a season-high six players in double figures and held The Citadel Bulldogs scoreless for nearly seven and a half minutes as they downed their cross-town rivals, 88-69, on Wednesday night at McAllister Field House. 

Arlon Harper led all players in scoring with 19 points, while Kelvin Martin put up a double-double with 13 points and a career-high tying 17 rebounds.  Saah Nimley (15 points, five assists) and Mathiang Muo (16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks) also finished in double figures, as did Sheldon Strickland with eleven points and Paul Gombwer with 12 points.  CSU was hot from the field, shooting 54.5 percent and hitting nine shots from beyond the arc on 21 attempts.    The Bucs also dominated the Bulldogs in the paint, outscoring them 44-22. Pressure defense induced 15 Citadel turnovers, which CSU was able to convert into 12 fast break points. 

The two teams kept things close at the outset, tying the score up five times in the first seven minutes of play.    A 3-pointer from the Citadel's Ashton Moore put the Bulldogs ahead, 19-16, but the Buccaneers quickly struck back and took the lead on a layup by Martin.  The two teams traded buckets once again, with Moore hitting another from downtown to take the lead once again at 27-24.    Moore's trey started a 6-2 run that put the Bulldogs' lead at seven on a free-throw by C.J. Bray with 6:52 to go in the first half.   Paul Gombwer powered home a layup while Harper and Muo added 3-pointers as the Bucs embarked on a 17-0 scoring run to close out the half.  CSU utilized a pressing, trapping zone defense to hold The Citadel scoreless for the final 5:52 of the first half to enter intermission with a 43-33 lead.

The Citadel crept within six on at 45-39 on sophomore Barry Smith's layup with 17:26 left to play, but that was as close as the Bulldogs would come. CSU answered with an 11-2 run to take control for good, with freshman Cedrick Bowen punctuating the spurt on a layup off a feed from classmate Nimley. The Bucs never let the Bulldogs get closer than twelve, as they connected on 14 of their first 18 attempts of the stanza en route to shooting 61 percent after halftime.

A highlight of the second half came in the closing minute as Martin snared his 17th board of the night to trigger a fast-break with culminated with a Harper three on the other end. Nimley's jumper rounded out the scoring with 57 seconds to go, as the 5-8 point guard continued to show his explosive ability off the dribble after being shaken up on a foul late in the first half.

Gombwer's 12 points set a career-high, as the freshman forward entered double digits for the first time this year. Along with Bowen, Gombwer and company did a solid job of containing The Citadel's Mike Groselle, who entered the contest as the nation's 19th leading rebounder. Groselle finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, but it did not come easy as the Bucs out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 42-34.

Next up for CSU is another intra-city battle with The College of Charleston on Saturday at 6 p.m. at TD Arena. A win would give the Bucs their third city championship under Radebaugh, having swept the Bulldogs and Cougars in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Bobby Cremins' club has won the last four games of the series.

The Citadel release

Freshman guard Ashton Moore scored 18 points and was joined in double figures by Mike Groselle (15 points) and DeVontae Wright (11 points), as rival Charleston Southern emerged with the 88-69 victory at McAlister Field House on Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs closed out the contest by hitting 30-of-68 (44.1%) from the field, including 6-of-14 (42.9%) from 3-point range, but it was Charleston Southern's 19-of-31 (61.3%) shooting in the second half that made for the difference.

The trio of Moore, Groselle and Wright marked the sixth time this season that at least three Citadel players reached double figures in scoring. Moore led all Bulldog scorers with eight field goals, including a pair from beyond the arc, while Groselle tallied seven and Wright closed with five. The Cadets rebounded from a tough opening half, which they hit only 14-of-37 (37.8%) to knock down 16-of-31 (51.6%) from the floor in the second half. Groselle's seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, anchored the middle for The Citadel. The loss drops the Dogs to 2-7 overall.

Despite Arlon Harper scoring a game-high 19 points, it was Kelvin Martin, who finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds that highlighted the Charleston Southern offensive attack. The Bucs (6-3) became the first team since VMI, on Nov. 11 in the All-Military Classic, to finish with six players in double figures against The Citadel, as Cedrick Bowen (16 pts.), Mathiang Muo (15 pts.), Paul Gombwer (12 pts.) and Sheldon Strickland (11 pts.) reached the milestone. CSU was successful on 37-of-68 (54.4%) field goal attempts, including 9-of-21 (42.9%) from 3-point range. They also held a 42-34 edge in rebounds, highlighted by 13 offensive rebounds.

CSU opened second half scoring with a layup by Wright, stretching the lead to 45-33, before a jumper by P.J. Horgan broke a scoreless drought for the Dogs that took 7:46 off the clock. The Citadel continued to apply pressure by capitalizing on a Moore jumper and a layup by Barry Smith to trim the margin to 45-39 at the 17:26 mark of the second half.

Consecutive scores by Strickland and Martin stretched the lead to 49-39, before a Groselle layup put the game back in single digits for the final time of the contest. CSU responded with a 7-0 run, stretching the advantage to 56-41, behind a 3-pointer by Harper at the 14:50 mark of the half.

The Citadel took advantage of five consecutive calls at their end of the floor, along with three points each by Smith and Moore, to draw within 64-51 of the Bucs. But, a pair of free throws by Gombwer and a 3-pointer by Saah Nimley established the 69-51 lead.

Wright countered with a 3-pointer, sparking a 15-9 run that was highlighted by six points from Groselle, to pull The Citadel within 78-66 of Charleston Southern with 5:33 left.

However, Charleston Southern allowed just three more points by the Dogs as they completed the 88-69 victory and moved their record to 6-3 on the season.

Behind seven points each from the tandem of Moore and Bray, The Citadel trailed by a 43-33 margin at the half. Bray knocked down a pair of first half 3-pointers, while Moore was 3-of-5 from the field, including a trey. The Bulldogs connected on 14-of-37 (37.8%) attempts from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The Dogs also posted 22 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, which accounted for six second chance points.

Charleston Southern opened strong with an 18-for-37 (48.6%) performance in the first half, led by Harper's 11 points. Harper took advantage of a 4-for-6 outing in the opening frame, while Martin hauled in 10 rebounds, including eight on the defensive glass. The Buccaneers closed with a 22-4 edge in points in the paint, keyed by nine points from Muo and five each from Martin and Nimley.

The Citadel took advantage of early baskets by Wright and Groselle to jump out to a 4-2 lead just 2:20 into the contest. The two teams reached a 6-6 tie before a Lawrence Miller 3-pointer from the right elbow gave the Dogs a 9-6 lead at the 15:54 mark. The Cadets followed with a layup by Groselle and a trey by Bray to stay in front, 14-13, with 14:02 on the clock.

Just under a minute later, Nimley gave CSU its third lead of the game on a 3-pointer, before a bucket by Smith and a shot from downtown by Moore allowed The Citadel to regain the lead, 19-16.

The Dogs maintained their three-point edge, 21-18, after a Wright found Moore for a jumper at the 11:51 mark. CSU retaliated with buckets by Harper and Martin to assume the 22-21 lead, as the teams traded baskets over the next 2:50 of the half before jumpers by Moore and Miller moved the Dogs in front 32-26 at the 6:20 mark.

Charleston Southern put together a 17-1 run over the remainder of the half, highlighted by seven points from Harper and five off the hand of Muo. Meanwhile, The Citadel managed just one Bray free throw, which came at the 5:52 mark, to face a 10-point deficit at the intermission.

After the brief two-game homestand, The Citadel now returns to the road where they will play at James Madison (Dec. 19) and Denver University (Dec. 22).