BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – After Radford erased a 14-point deficit and took a five-point lead with under a minute left in regulation, Charleston Southern rallied to force overtime and edge the Highlanders, 70-62, in Big South men's basketball action Thursday evening.

Trailing 55-41 at the 8:20 mark, the Highlanders went on a 20-1 run, highlighted by eight points from Blake Smith (Charlotte, N.C. / United Faith Christian Academy), to grab their first lead, 56-51, which they would stretch to 61-56 with 58 seconds to go.

“I thought Blake really helped us get back into the game down the stretch,” said Radford (4-16, 1-9 Big South) head coach Brad Greenberg.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS: CSU at Radford

Kelvin Martin, who finished with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds for his 22nd career double-double, scored five points in the closing 34 seconds of the second half, including his first 3-pointer of the season, to force the third straight overtime between these two teams at the Dedmon Center.

The Buccaneers, who had dropped 14 of their last 15 on Radford's home floor coming in, outscored the Highlanders, 9-1, in the extra session.

Led by Martin's 9-of-10 showing at the line, Charleston Southern (12-10, 6-4 Big South) finished the contest 26-of-29 from the charity stripe.

“We played an inspired second half at the defensive end,” Greenberg said. “We just needed the ball to bounce our way one more time.”

In addition to holding Charleston Southern to just 20.7 percent (6-of-29) in the second half, the Highlanders forced 21 miscues and recorded a season-high 15 steals.

Smith led three Highlanders in double figures with 15 points to go along with three assists and five steals. Tolga Cerrah (Ankara, Turkey) and Jeremy Robinson (Baltimore, Md./Tallahassee C.C.) added 11 and 10, respectively.

Preseason all-conference selection Jamarco Warren (14) and Jeremy Sexton (10) also hit the 10-point plateau for the Bucs.

Despite committing 11 first-half turnovers, Charleston Southern got 14 points from Martin on 6-of-6 shooting in the period and led 32-28 at the break.

Eight different players scored in the first half for the Highlanders, who finished 5-of-9 from deep in the stanza.

After Radford tied the score 32-32, the Buccaneers responded with 11 unanswered before stretching their lead to as many as 14 on a Kenny Mitchell dunk.

“It hurts, but our guys are resilient and we'll be ready to play on Saturday,” Greenberg added.

The Highlanders will continue their three-game homestand with a 6 p.m. televised contest against first-place Coastal Carolina Saturday at the Dedmon Center.