Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky closed a 16-point second half deficit to four with less than two minutes to play, but lost to Charleston Southern, 76-69, on Saturday at McBrayer Arena.
 
After the Buccaneers (5-6) took their third 16-point lead of the second half with 9:59 showing on the clock, the Colonels (3-9) stormed back.  Back-to-back 3-pointers by Ty Taylor started a 20-8 run and immediately whittled the deficit to 10 points, 63-53.  EKU got within eight twice before an old-fashioned 3-point play by Michael Moreno made it a 5-point game.  Moreno came up with a steal and got the lay-up to fall with 2:57 left in the game.  His free throw closed the gap to 69-64. 
 
A lay-up by Jomaru Brown off a long pass from Moreno with 1:43 to go capped the run and made it a 71-67 game.  Eastern missed on two jump shots and the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw trip before Deontaye Buskey's jumper with 50 seconds remaining pushed the lead back to six for CSU.
 
Taylor led the Colonels with 20 points.  Moreno finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Phlandrous Fleming had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Charleston Southern.
 
CSU began the game by hitting on 12 of its first 15 attempts from the field, including 7-of-9 from behind the arc, to build a 14-point advantage.  EKU took a 14-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Moreno, but the Colonels went cold and the Buccaneers stayed hot.  CSU rolled off a 20-4 run to take a 14-point lead, 32-18, with 7:45 to go before halftime.
 
Three straight 3-pointers by Taylor got Eastern Kentucky within single digits, 36-27, and his two free throws made it an 8-point game, 37-29, with 3:48 remaining in the opening half.  However, Charleston Southern scored eight of the final 12 and led by 12, 45-33, at intermission.
 
The Buccaneers shot 69 percent (18-for-26) in the first half, including 7-of-12 from deep (58 percent).  Charleston Southern came into the game shooting 36 percent for the season from the field and only 24 percent from three-point range. 
 
Eastern limited the visitors to 41 percent shooting in the second half, including just 1-of-9 (11 percent) from behind the arc.
 
EKU plays at East Carolina on Dec. 28.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.  The Colonels' next home game is Jan. 2 when Tennessee Tech visits McBrayer Arena for the Ohio Valley Conference opener.