In Bizarro World, Cougar Offense Wins Games

Final Score: College of Charleston 85, Marist College 75

Top Performers:

Anthony Stitt 19 points (8-9 FG, 2-3 3pt), 4 assists

Chavaughn Lewis 23 points, 7 rebounds

"Is Bobby Cremins coaching this game?"

That's what I was saying to myself yesterday as the Cougars found themselves in a fast-paced, offensive tour de force game against Marist in Poughkeepsie. There was little defense on the perimeter by the Cougars, the Stitt/Lawrence backcourt once again dominated an opponent offensively and there were a lot more three balls from the Cougars instead of the usual Baru establishment on the block. The Cougars reached their season average for game points with nearly 15 minutes to go in the 2nd half and clicked at a brisk 51% shooting percentage. 

The first thing Wojcik mentioned in his postgame interview was that the Cougars were not expecting that sort of pace from Marist. The Red Foxes don't score a lot of points because they don't take/make a lot of threes and they generally keep the play on an even keel. That leads me to believe that the scouting report for Marist was something like: shut down their shots at the rim, force them to beat us from outside the arc and do what we do offensively.

Then out of left field the Red Foxes start running and gunning threes like it's going out of style. I guess a team that had only made two three balls in their last game was probably due for some to fall. Marist shot 5 for 10 from deep in the first half and it really kept them in the game. That's because despite the shock in style, the Cougars executed their game plan (the one I imagined in my head). For the first half the Marist power forward and center positions were complete non-factors. The Cougs dared the Foxes to shoot and to our own detriment they got 90% of their offense from catching fire from outside. 

That made the game closer than it should have been but CofC uncharacteristically turned to their offense to win this one. Every time Marist cut the lead to single digits, the omnipotent backcourt of Anthony Stitt and Andrew Lawrence responded with a dagger. Lawrence scored 19 points in the first half alone mostly because Stitt picked up two quick fouls and was relegated to the bench. Then in the second half Anthony went on his own scoring spree (missing just one shot) for 19 points of his own. Both were getting to the rim, both were hitting from outside and both had one or two difference making plays on defense. Stitt especially continues to play at a high level. His 46.8% shooting from three is one of the best marks in the country and his ability to hit from mid range is a welcome fact of the offense with Willis and Matt cold in recent weeks. 

This was another encouraging game that demonstrated the flexibility of this team and the in-game adjustments Wojcik is capable of. The offense was a low-turnover, well-oiled machine yet again (no matter who was running point) and the team was able to run away with another bench-clearing victory on the road. We all know firsthand that this style of play is not a permanent strategy for postseason success. However, the CofC offense really was super efficient last night and if that's working you might as well ride with it. All the better knowing we can respond to what most teams try and surprise us with.