Cougars Clip the Buccaneers 72-67

CSU has cavity problems

Final Score: College of Charleston 72, Charleston Southern 67
Top Performers: Andrew Lawrence 18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
                              Saah Nimley 20 points

This had all the elements of a trap game. The Cougars were playing an easy-to-overlook Charleston Southern team following a big victory over a ranked opponent. The CSU Buccaneers were playing inside their own "sandbox", with a raucous crowd behind them, to avenge several close losses they had endured at the hands of the Cougs over the past few years. The Bucs threw a number of different defensive looks at CofC in an attempt to rattle the team visiting the Dome. At times it worked well and at other times the Cougars showed enough versatility in their offense to take advantage.

First there was the trap at mid court. As long as the ball eventually found its way into the hands of Andrew "El Capitan" Lawrence this strategy was mostly ineffective. Advantage: Cougars. When Lawrence did cross half court the Bucs would decide whether to go man or zone. For most of the first half it was the 2-3 zone; keeping Baru pinned against the baseline and away from the basket and daring the Cougars to shoot. Not a bad strategy by CSU because so far the Cougars' offense has relied on extra attention being given to Adjehi down low. Two ways the Cougars were able to capitalize: finding Willis in the "cavity of the zone" (thanks Coach Kresse) and swinging the ball around the perimeter to get an open shot before CSU could catch up. When Baru did get the ball he did a really fantastic job of recognizing when to pass and when to attack the basket. He got fouled twice going to the rim but made 3 of 4 free throws. Let's see thats one, two and three things Wojcik said he wanted to see Adjehi improve upon this week. Another strong showing by our only true big man right now.

As the game moved on it became evident that this would be a game of runs and momentum shifting. Maybe it was the crowd and the adrenaline but the tempo of the first 15 minutes of play was insane. Haven't seen the Cougars go that speed since the UMass game last year. We were able to attack that zone though and shoot 53% for the half. Problem was we allowed the Bucs to shoot 58% in the same period.

Another example of Charleston Southern throwing something at the Cougars that we haven't seen yet was the offensive set they ran. They would spread out their players, which prevented us from double-teaming the ball handler, and then would have Nimley or Harper drive to the basket. It allowed CSU's guards to get man-to-man coverage and they were successful at getting to the basket before Baru could slide over to protect the rim. Advantage: Bucs...for the first half.

The Cougars led by as many as 10 in the first 20 minutes, the Bucs by as many as 2. We went into halftime tied at 41. In the second half, Coach Radebaugh and the Bucs played a lot more man (probably to stop getting gouged by three pointers). Right away the Cougars were able to run their own offense at a comfortable pace and went on an 11-1 run. The Cougars also locked up on defense (and maybe CSU went a little cold) to defend the perimeter better. They forced Nimley and Harper to either give the ball up or shoot a contested shot. In the second half the Bucs shooting percentage plummeted back to Earth; 26% on field goals attempts and 1-13 on three pointers.

Of course we should have known after last year's contest that CSU would not go down quietly. As Wojcik noted afterward, "well we were up 12 and in that situation you don't want to shoot too early in the shot clock." Well said coach, but the offense went a little stagnant in the final minutes. Throw in a few turnovers and CSU went on a furious last ditch comeback effort. They drove recklessly to the basket to get to the line and Harper nailed their one three of the half to get within striking distance. Yet again, Lawrence was able to ice the game at the free throw line and seal the Cougar victory.

It was the tightly contested inner-city (county) game we anticipated. Great in-game adjustments by the coaching staff and good to see every player contribute a little bit.

A few more notes:

• CSU is so aggressive going for the offensive rebounds. They're not big but their guards chase down their own shots and they got a lot of long rebounds (that happens when you miss a lot of threes)
• Willis Hall, not to be outdone, was also a beast on the offensive glass
• CSU was the 30th best rebounding team in the nation going into last nights game. The Cougars out rebounded them by 12
• There's a reason CSU's field goal average is low. Aside from their backcourt, the rest of the team attempted a lot of bad shots. Even when the team was hot they were shooting some shots that barely grazed the rim.
• Anthony Thomas had a rough game. Five of the teams 15 turnovers on his own, at least two of which were at critical times. On the plus side he played 39 minutes and his offense was solid.
• Stitt also had turnover issues but he went 6-7 from the field for 18 points before going out with a leg cramp in the second half. Out of those 7 attempts, maybe one was at the rim.
• Great play to end the 1st half. Baru with his go-to hook shot and sunk it just as time expired.
• Loved the decision to have Theo guard Nimley