Final Score: College of Charleston 76, Old Dominion 65
Top Performers:
Adjehi Baru 20 points (8-8 FG, 3-4 FT) 9 rebounds
Anthony Thomas 13 points (2-2 3PT) 4 assists, 3 blocks
A huge sigh of relief was emitted from TD Arena tonight as the Cougars played their most complete game of the season since defeating Towson over a month ago. The Cougars got contributions from literally everyone tonight, including four walk-ons, to take down ODU quite handily in the second half of play.
Before I get too far ahead of myself I need to give credit where credit is due. Anthony Thomas caught some flack on here last week following the Anderson game. He played the best he has since the Charleston Classic tonight. "AT" was very aggressive at not only getting to the basket but also pulling up from deep and hitting his two long ball attempts. He also continued to prove that "most versatile player" monicker the team gave him to start the season by filling up the stat sheet with blocks, assists and rebounds. If the team can get production like that from him every night we'll be in really good shape.
The first half was a back and forth affair. The Cougars started the game with Willis and Lawrence in the lineup and looked better than in the past games but there was still something to be desired. The defense was ok and the offense still wasn't running at peak efficiency but the Cougars were staying in it despite their shots not falling. All too frequently ODU would drive past Lawrence, Stitt or Willis and have a wide open layup before help side defense could even blink. That and ACC senior transfer DeShawn Painter was showing off some great touch around the basket.
ODU threw more 2-3 zone at us this game (to be expected) but the Cougars did show signs that this was something they had worked on. On one occasion Baru was able to get behind the zone for an easy dunk and the Cougars were not afraid to shoot from the outside. In the first half the shots they were getting off were not falling but things would change in the second.
CofC kicked off the second half on a 17-6 run. Fueled by a couple Baru slams and some three pointers that finally fell the Cougars never looked back. They pushed the lead to as many 20 in the second half, scoring one less point in the final 20 minutes than they did the entire Anderson game and setting a new season high for scoring output.
There was a lot to like in the second half. Anthony Thomas finally having another big game, Baru dominating everything in his path and Trent Wiedeman returning to game time action. The true Christmas miracles however were the decreased turnovers, increased assist numbers and fast break points for the Cougars.
The team had just 12 turnovers before emptying the bench in the final minutes. Some of that is attributable to Andrew Lawrence's presence and some was because the team wasn't forcing anything. They found open men and Willis/Thomas/Baru were quick to get rid of the ball when the double team came in the paint. Not only does the decreased TO's mean a lot more offensive opportunities for the Cougars; it also prevents a lot of easy transition points for their opponent.
CofC actually flipped the script by taking advantage of the turnovers they forced out of ODU. For the first time in a while we saw a concerted effort by the team to push the pace in transition and it paid huge dividends. The Cougars got a lot of easy baskets in transition by getting out on the break in numbers or attacking the basket one-on-one. Really easy way to swing points in your favor when you're limiting your own turnovers and getting run-outs on defense.
Unfortunately the game wasn't perfect for every one of the Cougars. Just 18 minutes after making his debut back to the court, Trent Wiedeman came down awkwardly on his other ankle. The injury looked bad on film but Trent was able to walk off on his own power. It's a real shame for Wiedeman if he's gonna miss more time. In speaking with the commentators pre-gamtime Trent sounded excited to get back to the floor and contribute.
Hope everything is alright with the other All-SoCon performer on the roster. With him and Lawrence back on the floor together, everyone is back to their traditional roles. Willis can bring his blue collar work ethic off the bench, Adjehi gets more rest and Thomas is given the freedom to roam around the court offensively. That's why I think the offense seemed to flow the best it has since Towson. That's really the only other time we've been totally healthy.
Great effort and execution tonight at a time when the team clearly needed it. Rest a little bit easier tonight CofC fans.
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