College of Charleston 71, Tennessee 65
CHARLESTON, S.C. - For the second-straight season, the College of Charleston men's basketball team knocked off SEC foe Tennessee, 71-65, while entertaining yet another sell-out crowd of 5,137 fans on Wednesday night at TD Arena.
The Cougars (8-1) extended their home-court win streak to 14 consecutive games and have now won their last five straight, while the Volunteers (3-6) lost their fourth in a row. It marks the second-best start in the first nine games of a season in the Bobby Cremins Era next to the team's 2008-09 campaign.
Senior Antwaine Wiggins provided the offensive spark as he tied his career high with a game-high 24 points, including 15 in the second half, and shot an impressive 10-of-12 from the field. He also pulled down eight rebounds and made three assists.
Junior Andrew Lawrence excited the Cougar faithful with his five steals leading to several fast-break opportunities. He finished with 14 points, while CofC converted 16 Tennessee turnovers into 22 points. Lawrence also made four assists, most of them to Wiggins in the fast break.
Freshman Anthony Stitt and redshirt-junior Matt Sundberg came off the bench to score nine and eight points, respectively, and each made critical plays in the final minutes. Stitt banked a shot off the backboard and drew the foul to put CofC up 67-59 with 2:08 remaining, while Sundberg drew a charging call with less than a minute to play to help secure the win.
The Volunteers were led by Jordan McRae's 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Dwight Miller also cracked double digits with his 13 points and seven rebounds.
CofC went on a 13-0 run midway through the second half to jump out to a 56-47 lead at the 9:28 minute mark. The Cougars led by as many as 14 after a three-pointer from Sundberg with under six to go.
The Volunteers found their touch again from three-point range as McRae hit three triples in the final four minutes, the last of which cut the margin to 68-65 with 1:01 left. However, free throws from Lawrence and solid defense did not allow the Volunteers to get any closer.
Charleston Southern 88, The Citadel 69
CHARLESTON, S.C.- Freshman guard Ashton Moore scored 18 points and was joined in double figures by Mike Groselle (15 points) and DeVontae Wright (11 points), as rival Charleston Southern emerged with the 88-69 victory at McAlister Field House on Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs closed out the contest by hitting 30-of-68 (.441) from the field, including 6-of-14 (.429) from 3-point range, but it was Charleston Southern's 19-of-31 (.613) shooting in the second half that made for the difference.
The trio of Moore, Groselle and Wright marked the sixth time this season that at least three Citadel players reached double figures in scoring. Moore led all Bulldog scorers with eight field goals, including a pair from beyond the arc, while Groselle tallied seven and Wright closed with five. The Cadets rebounded from a tough opening half, which they hit only 14-of-37 (.378) to knock down 16-of-31 (.516) from the floor in the second half. Groselle's seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, anchored the middle for The Citadel. The loss drops the Dogs to 2-7 overall.
Despite Arlon Harper scoring a game-high 19 points, it was Kelvin Martin, who finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds that highlighted the Charleston Southern offensive attack. The Bucs (6-3) became the first team since VMI, on Nov. 11 in the All-Military Classic, to finish with six players in double figures against The Citadel, as Cedrick Bowen (16 pts.), Mathian Muo (15 pts.), Paul Gombwer (12 pts.) and Sheldon Strickland (11 pts.) reached the milestone. CSU was successful on 37-of-68 (.544) field goal attempts, including 9-of-21 (.429) from 3-point range. They also held a 42-34 edge in rebounds, highlighted by 13 offensive rebounds.
CSU opened second half scoring with a layup by Wright, stretching the lead to 45-33, before a jumper by P.J. Horgan broke a scoreless drought for the Dogs that took 7:46 off the clock. The Citadel continued to apply pressure by capitalizing on a Moore jumper and a layup by Barry Smith to trim the margin to 45-39 at the 17:26 mark of the second half.
Consecutive scores by Strickland and Martin stretched the lead to 49-39, before a Groselle layup put the game back in single digits for the final time of the contest. CSU responded with a 7-0 run, stretching the advantage to 56-41, behind a 3-pointer by Harper at the 14:50 mark of the half.
The Citadel took advantage of five consecutive calls at their end of the floor, along with three points each by Smith and Moore, to draw within 64-51 of the Bucs. But, a pair of free throws by Gombwer and a 3-pointer by Saah Nimley established the 69-51 lead.
Wright countered with a 3-pointer, sparking a 15-9 run that was highlighted by six points from Groselle, to pull The Citadel within 78-66 of Charleston Southern with 5:33 left.
However, Charleston Southern allowed just three more points by the Dogs as they completed the 88-69 victory and moved their record to 6-3 on the season.
Behind seven points each from the tandem of Moore and Bray, The Citadel trailed by a 43-33 margin at the half. Bray knocked down a pair of first half 3-pointers, while Moore was 3-of-5 from the field, including a trey. The Bulldogs connected on 14-of-37 (37.8%) attempts from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. The Dogs also posted 22 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, which accounted for six second chance points.
Charleston Southern opened strong with an 18-for-37 (48.6%) performance in the first half, led by Harper's 11 points. Harper took advantage of a 4-for-6 outing in the opening frame, while Martin hauled in 10 rebounds, including eight on the defensive glass. The Buccaneers closed with a 22-4 edge in points in the paint, keyed by nine points from Muo and five each from Martin and Nimley.
The Citadel took advantage of early baskets by Wright and Groselle to jump out to a 4-2 lead just 2:20 into the contest. The two teams reached a 6-6 tie before a Lawrence Miller 3-pointer from the right elbow gave the Dogs a 9-6 lead at the 15:54 mark. The Cadets followed with a layup by Groselle and a trey by Bray to stay in front, 14-13, with 14:02 on the clock.
Just under a minute later, Nimley gave CSU its third lead of the game on a 3-pointer, before a bucket by Smith and a shot from downtown by Moore allowed The Citadel to regain the lead, 19-16.
The Dogs maintained their three-point edge, 21-18, after a Wright found Moore for a jumper at the 11:51 mark. CSU retaliated with buckets by Harper and Martin to assume the 22-21 lead, as the teams traded baskets over the next 2:50 of the half before jumpers by Moore and Milleroved the Dogs in front 32-26 at the 6:20 mark.
Charleston Southern put together a 17-1 run over the remainder of the half, highlighted by seven points from Harper and five off the hand of Muo. Meanwhile, The Citadel managed just one Bray free throw, which came at the 5:52 mark, to face a 10-point deficit at the intermission.