Downward Spiral Continues: CofC vs GSU Recap

Final Score:Georgia Southern 64, College of Charleston 58

Top Performers: Eric Ferguson 19 points, 8 rebounds

                             Antwaine Wiggins 17 points, 12 rebounds

Upon hearing that Adjehi Baru would not be playing in this game as a precaution for his sprained ankle, my expectations took a nosedive. The Cougars were forced to play their 4th and 5th best post players a combined 51 minutes due to the injuries to Hall and Baru plus some early foul trouble from Trent. The Eagles took advantage by dominating the Cougs inside the paint and out rebounding them by ten. 

Here are a few quick thoughts from this one, both good and bad:

• A lineup on the floor of Scott, Johnson, Sundberg, Wiggins and Carlton saw more time on the court last night than any CofC fan could have predicted due to the aforementioned issues plus the need to sit Lawrence at least a few seconds every game (he played all but 120 seconds). That lineup has no true point guard and no true post player. The results were not pretty. With those five on the court together, the offense often stalled as everyone just sort of hung out on the perimeter. 
• Way too many open looks under the basket for GSU. Sundberg and Carlton all too often overcommitted to the player driving and poor Trent was forced to spin on his heels like a top as the Eagles got backdoor dunk after backdoor dunk.
• Two great plays by Trevonte Dixon in this one. The buzzer beating dunk to close out the half and breaking up an alley oop on the defensive break against a 2-on-1
• Andrew Lawrence, get out of this habit of not taking your time to shoot your first free throw. Missing on a technical shot is very uncharacteristic of you. 
• James Carlton brings a different dimension to the Cougars' game, but his frame is so thin and lanky that he repeatedly gets shoved and bullied out of position by opposing players. Might be an issue of footwork or maybe he needs to hit the gym harder.
• Wiggins did his best yet again to will his team to victory. In his last four years at the College he has not been a part of a losing funk like this team finds themselves in. It's got to be hard for him to play on this team right now with visions of Jeremy Simmons and Andrew Goudelock dancing in his dreams.
• Not sure what was better. Nori Johnson's hair-raising dunk in the second half, or Baru and Stitt's reaction on the bench. The big man "caution tape" move as I like to call it, is one of my favorite bench reactions.