Charleston Southern University’s men’s basketball team lost to Longwood University in overtime on Friday night, with a final score of 81–79. The game took place in Farmville, Virginia.
Trent Coleman made his first start of the season and scored the opening basket just over a minute into the game. After this early lead, Longwood gained momentum and built a seven-point advantage midway through the first half. Charleston Southern tied the score at 19 before managing only three more points for the rest of the half, entering halftime trailing by 18 points.
In the second half, Charleston Southern narrowed the gap quickly. A’lahn Sumler hit a three-pointer to cut Longwood’s lead to nine points with under 16 minutes left. Brycen Blaine followed with another three-pointer to reduce the deficit further, prompting Longwood to call a timeout.
Despite being down by ten points late in regulation, Charleston Southern mounted a comeback. Jesse Hafemeister made two free throws with less than a minute remaining to bring CSU within one point. After two free throws from Longwood’s Elijah Tucker extended their lead, Sumler hit a one-legged three-pointer that tied the game and forced overtime.
The extra period remained close throughout. Hafemeister gave CSU a brief two-point lead, but Longwood responded with free throws and a layup from Jaylen Benard to secure their win.
A’lahn Sumler led Charleston Southern with 30 points and nine assists, marking his second 30-point performance in three games. Brycen Blaine added 20 points and collected nine rebounds. Trent Coleman contributed by shooting 50 percent from the field in his first start as a Buccaneer and scored the game’s opening points. Jesse Hafemeister recorded his highest scoring game since joining the Big South Conference with 17 points, while Lase Olalere achieved a career-high four blocks in just 21 minutes of play.
Charleston Southern will return home on January 29th to host Radford University at Buc Dome at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can watch an interview with Coach Nimley discussing upcoming opponents and recent games on CSUsports.com or follow updates about CSU Men’s Basketball on Instagram and X/Twitter @csu_mbball.
