Final Score: College of Charleston 75, Samford 49
Top Performers: Antwaine Wiggins 24 pts (career high), 9 rebs, 4 assts
Andrew Goudelock 23 pts, 5 assts
ANTWAAAAINE WIGGINS FOR THREEEEEE!!! On a night that honored the contributions of the class of 2011, it was Antwaine Wiggins (the lone 4th year player left out of the ceremonies because of his redshirt), who actually showed up.
And how fitting that it was in fact our boy 'Twaine. Way back in 2007, Antwaine was the biggest prize that Cremins was able to capture in his first official recruiting class. Wiggins had numerous major school offers but instead elected to take his talents to Chucktown. The past few weeks have seen the biggest emergence of Wiggins' full repertoire of moves and the Cougars are certainly benefitting.
From the beginning this game had no alibi, it was U-G-L-Y. Drew and Donovan were ice cold and couldn't convert from anywhere on the court. Maybe it was the distraction of senior night or emotions of playing at home for the last time. Whatever it was, it had me nervous. Luckily, the Bulldogs couldn't hit anything either despite wide open looks on several occasions.
*One note real quick. Very classy move by Cremins to start all the seniors, including Turok and Campbell. It was fun to watch them get pumped up during pre-game introductions.
As the Cougar guards struggled, it was Wiggins who carried the team through the first half. He was once again driving and jumpshooting, but also hit on 4 of 6 threes. Once the Cougs got comfortable, they were able to lock down on defense and actually played a reasonably effective full court press at times. As opposed to other recent games, it was good to see the defense show up in the first half.
If there was going to be a hiccup in the games leading up to the tournament, this game made a strong argument as being the head scratcher. Our offense never really got it going (other than Antwaine), but Samford didn't have enough talent to give the Cougs any trouble. Had this statistically abnormal game occurred against a tougher opponent, we could've seen another conference loss.
For the last game home game of the year, this particular contest had some memorable moments outside of the play. I already mentioned Turok and Cambell getting the start. The seniors were also recognized prior to the game and each accepted a framed jersey with their families by their side.
After the game, each senior took the opportunity to thank the fans and the community for their support. Again, another really cool moment of the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment