Claudell Harris Jr. led a potent Charleston Southern attack rained down threes in the first half and free throws after halftime to take down Longwood, 75-63, on Saturday.
Harris had a game-high 23 points for Charleston Southern (8-13, 4-6 Big South), thanks in part to four made threes, to go with eight rebounds.
RJ Johnson chipped in 13 points, and Kalib Clinton and Taje’ Kelly added 12 points apiece.
The Lancers (15-8, 7-3 Big South) couldn’t buy a shot from the floor in the first half, going 3-of-18 from three in the opening 20 minutes, and went into the halftime break down 36-24.
Early in the second half, CSU extended the lead to 18, but Longwood started to creep back into the game. Nate Lliteras hit a three as part of a 7-0 run with 15:04 to play that trimmed the lead to 11.
It wouldn’t get any closer.
“First off, hats off to Charleston Southern,” Longwood coach Griff Aldrich said. “I thought they played a great game from start to finish. They outplayed us in almost every facet of the game. Very good game by them.
“On our end, I was really disappointed. It’s been something we’ve struggled with. We got outcompeted and out toughed. We talk a lot about who wants to win more, and I thought it was very clear that Charleston Southern outcompeted us. They made shots, but their desire was greater than ours.”
The Lancers head out on the road to take on Winthrop to open February on Wednesday. The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. The game will be aired on ESPN+ and on the radio on WVHL 92.9 Kickin’ Country.
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Chris Graham
