Charleston, S.C. ? The Bulldog basketball team came out on fire in the first half of Tuesday night’s rivalry against College of Charleston at McAlister Field House. Looking for their third consecutive conference win and the first win over the Cougars in five years, the Bulldogs’ effort fell short as College of Charleston turned up the heat in the second half, topping the Dogs, 74-62, before a crowd of 5,157.
Senior guard Donny McLendon set the tone for the Bulldogs, opening the game with a 3-pointer at 19:32 to put the first points on the board for either team. Almost a full two minutes later was the game’s second basket, a layup by Cougar Dontaye Draper, who became a major scoring threat for The Citadel for the remainder of the game.
An assist from Draper set up Cougar David Lawrence for a dunk to put two more points on the board for the Cougars at 17:04, but McLendon answered with a quick jumper of his own on the next possession, putting the Dogs back in front, 5-4. However, at 15:36 the College of Charleston took their second lead of the game, which they would hold on to until near the end of the half, when Philip McCandies set up Marcus Hammond for a jumper for his first of 21 points.
The Cougars extended the lead to double-digits when Draper hit his third 3-pointer of the game at 8:38 left in the first half. Senior guard Kevin Hammack answered immediately with a layup at 8:05 that started a 14-6 Bulldog run which ended with a second effort basketball by J’Mel Everhart with two seconds left in the half, tying the game at 29 going into the locker room.
“What a gutty effort by J’Mel,” said Bulldog Head Coach Ed Conroy about the injured senior forward. “He wanted to be a part of this game so bad. I have a lot of respect for him and I know he’s going to be successful at whatever he does in life.”
Junior guard Demetrius Nelson dominated for the Bulldogs in an impressive first half effort. Shooting 7-of-9 from the field, Nelson led the Bulldogs with 14 first half points, while Draper led the College of Charleston at the half with 13 points. The Citadel shot 48.1 percent from the field, while the Cougars followed at 44.0 percent.
However, things took a change of course in the second half, as three quick 3-pointers, two by Draper and one by Lawrence, jumped the College of Charleston out to an 11-point lead at 16:43 in the period. Two back-to-back 3-pointers by McLendon and a jumper by Nelson brought the Bulldogs back within three points, 42-39, at 14:26. But the Bulldogs were not able to put a stop to the Cougar offense that included 12 more Draper points and 16 Hammond second half points. The College of Charleston extended their second half lead to as much as 18 points with 1:03 left in the game before several quick Bulldog baskets in the last minute narrowed the Cougar lead to 14, ending the game, 74-60.
“I think we were ready emotionally, but we have some deficiencies that were definitely exposed tonight,” Conroy said. “I enjoy coaching this team. They’re really learning how we want to play and they know what they need to work on.”
Four Bulldogs finished the game scoring in double-digits. Nelson led The Citadel with 16 points, three boards and one steal, while Hammack finished with 12 points, four boards, three assists and one steal. McLendon fouled out at 1:52 in the second half with 11 points, while Everhart contributed 10 points and five rebounds. Leading the Bulldogs in boards was freshman forward Bryan Streeter with four offensive and two defenses rebounds on the night. The Citadel shot 48.1 percent from the field and 25 percent from long range.
Draper led the Cougars with 25 points, shooting 5-of-10 from long range and 9-of-14 from the field, while Hammond finished with 4-of-8 from behind the arc and 7-of-13 from the field for 21 points. Lawrence contributed 15 points, while Josh Jackson led in boards with seven on the night. The College of Charleston shot 53.1 percent from the field, 45.8 from long range and 84.6 percent from the charity stripe.
The Citadel dropped to 5-11 overall and 2-3 in Southern Conference action, while the College of Charleston improved to 10-7 and 3-2 in the SoCon.
The Bulldogs will host Georgia Southern on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a televised game on Sports South. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. For recap, stats or more information on Bulldog Basketball or The Citadel Athletics, go to www.CitadelSports.com.