Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information

CHARLESTON, SC -- Dontaye Draper scored 24 points, while teammate Josh Jackson added 21 as the College of Charleston cruised to a 72-52 win over rival The Citadel in Southern Conference men's basketball action before 3,005 at McAlister Field House on Thursday.

The Cougars, who secured their 27th consecutive season of at least 15 wins, improved to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in league play. The Bulldogs are 7-19 and 0-13.

The Cougars have won the last eight meetings in the series and enjoyed their largest win at The Citadel since a 60-39 win over the Bulldogs at McAlister Field House on Feb. 6, 1999. The Cougars also improved their 8-year SoCon record to 100-39, including tournament action.

The Cougars, who led 26-23 at intermission, used a 10-0 run to start the second half to take a commanding 36-23 lead with 15:36 left in the game. Charleston's biggest lead was 72-46 after a J.R. Hairston's jumper with 1:37 remaining.

The Cougars shot 46.6 percent from the floor for the game, including a sizzling 58.6 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs were limited to just 28.6 percent shooting for the game. The Cougars also held a 45-33 edge in rebounding.

David Lawrence led the Cougars in rebouding for the fourth consecutive contest with a game-high 10. Senior Drew Hall had four points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists. J'Mel Everhart and Matt Davis led the Bulldogs with 11 points each, respectively.

Charleston plays host to Georgia State on Saturday at 6:00 as part of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday.