FARMVILLE, Va. – On Saturday night, Charleston Southern scorched the nets to take down Longwood men's basketball 75-63.
 
Claudell Harris, Jr. led a potent Charleston Southern (8-13, 4-6 Big South) attack rained down threes in the first half and free throws after halftime to take down the Lancers. Harris had a game-high 23 points, 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.
 
Meanwhile, the Lancers (15-8, 7-3 Big South), who were less than 48 hours removed from a tight battle on the road at Radford on Thursday night, couldn't buy a shot from the floor in the first half. The team had a variety of open triples that refused to go down, going 3-18 from three in the opening 20 minutes.
 
DeShaun Wade led a surge after halftime and scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, but the damage had been done.
 
"First off, hats off to Charleston Southern," said Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich. "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."
 
Early on, the two defenses limited chances as the lead went back and forth. Nate Lliteras hit a layup off an Isaiah Wilkins offensive rebound, and Longwood took a 10-7 lead with 14:26 to go in the half.
 
Charleston Southern's defense locked in and gummed the interior up over the next few minutes, and Harris went off on offense. He ripped off 13 straight points over the next six minutes to give the Bucs the lead, and Charleston Southern followed in his wake.
 
The Bucs extended the lead to double figures and led 36-24 at the break.
 
Early in the second half, CSU extended the lead to 18, but Longwood started to creep back into the game. Lliteras hit a three as part of a 7-0 run with 15:04 to play that trimmed the lead to 11. However, the shot to cut it to single digits eluded the Lancers over the next few minutes.
 
After the Bucs responded and extended the lead again, the Lancers clawed back within 11 three more times, but CSU had the answer. Johnson played a big role down the stretch and went 11-11 from the foul line after halftime.
 
"If we don't change our competitiveness level, its going to be a roller coaster the rest of the season," Aldrich said. "The great news is we've got the skill and the talent, but we've got to change our attitude. We've talked a lot about pouring into the root: your effort, your focus and your attitude. Right now we're reaping the rewards of not competing as hard as our opponents. We say it all the time: toughness wins. The tougher team tonight won."
 
 
The Lancers head out on the road to take on Winthrop to open February. Wednesday, Feb. 1, the game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The game will be aired on ESPN+ and on the radio on WVHL 92.9 Kickin' Country.
 
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