Charleston Southern thwarts NCCU’s late rally for 58-53 win

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Ty Jones hit a jumper and Dontrell Shuler drove for a layup as Charleston Southern pulled away from North Carolina Central in the final seconds to claim a 58-53 win on Saturday night.

The Buccaneers held a 37-22 lead at halftime before North Carolina Central rallied. Evan Clayborne drove for two straight layups to start the Eagles on a 19-4 run to tie it at 41-41 on Mike Melvin’s jumper with 11:25 left. The Eagles took their first lead, 47-45, following Melvin’s layup with 5:34 remaining. Jones quickly answered with a 3-pointer to go back out front. The teams swapped the lead in the final minutes until Shuler’s layup gave Charleston Southern a 52-50 advantage with :48 left.

The Buccaneers made six free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Shuler was 7 of 11 from the floor while making 8 of 8 free-throw attempts to total 22 points. Phlandrous Fleming Jr. added 11 points for Charleston Southern (4-5) which has won two in a row after dropping five straight games.

Clayborne had 12 points and nine rebounds for NCCU (2-8), which extended its losing streak to four.