Tavari Johnson’s 20 points helped Charleston defeat Newberry 112-66 on Friday

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Tavari Johnson’s 20 points helped Charleston defeat Newberry 112-66 on Friday.

Johnson had three steals for the Cougars (2-0). Eli Ellis scored 15 points and added seven rebounds. Ben Bradford had 14 points and shot 4 for 7 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Stanislaw Romer led the way for Newberry with 12 points. Matthew Foor scored seven points and grabbed two steals, and Landon Harrison had seven points.

Charleston took the lead with 19:33 remaining in the first half and did not trail again. Johnson led his team in scoring with 17 points in the first half to help put them up 52-27 at the break. Charleston pulled away with a 7-0 run in the second half to extend a 29-point lead to 36 points. They outscored Newberry by 21 points in the final half, as Martin Kalu led the way with a team-high 11 second-half points.

Charleston visits Temple in its next matchup on Wednesday.