CofC Guards Shine in First CAA Win

Final Score: CofC 75, JMU 61
Top Performers:
Anthony Stitt 23 points (5-8 3PM-A), 3 assts
Charles Cooke 21 pts, 6 rebs, 2 stls
Anthony Thomas 10 pts, 11 rebs

This game was supposed to be a grit-and-grind matchup between two low-scoring teams with size and athleticism. One of those games the Cougars have played a half dozen times already this season in which the offense takes the night off and the wins come ugly. That prediction was quickly flipped upside down as Anthony Stitt drilled three consecutive long balls and the Cougars elected to go under every ball screen JMU set. The game ended up being a SoCon throwback of sorts, with both teams running the offense through their guards and hoisting up jumpers. The difference was that CofC's were coming as a result of the pressure JMU put under the basket. That's the luxury you afford when your starting power forward/center combo is the talk of the league.

Long considered the weaker half of this team, the College of Charleston trio of guards - Anthony Stitt, Nori Johnson and Joe Chealey - contributed a combined 53 points while the forwards cleaned the glass (+17 edge for CofC).  Reigning National Player of the Week Willis Hall had a quiet game on offense (2 points) as did Adjehi Baru (6 points, 6 turnovers) but they received enough attention from JMU's defense to free up space for the rest of the team.

As expected, JMU started the game in a 3-2 zone. Not so expected was how the Cougars attacked the defense. Wojcik mentioned postgame that moving the ball against the zone was the primary point of emphasis in practice and it showed. Stitt broke out of a light scoring drought from the outside and the penetration from Anthony Thomas and Joe Chealey was a welcome sign of aggression. With CofC's hot start, the Dukes bailed on the zone about midway through the first half. On offense, JMU started off hot like the Cougars but they rely heavily on jumpers and when those stopped falling things started to get ugly. Andre Nation gave them a big boost off the bench with 7 points but his team also went on a 6 minute scoreless streak toward the end of the first half. An Andre Semenov three (I already don't like that guy, reminds me too much of Van Scyoc) and a cold-blooded response from Stitt wrapped up the first 20 minutes.

In the second half things started to swing back in favor of the visiting Dukes. The Cougar bigs were missing all sorts of easy buckets inside and turning the ball over every time they got doubled - rendering an offensive rebounding advantage they had obsolete. The JMU guards also started bullying their CofC counterparts by posting them up. That's something the Cougs rarely encounter and the quick fouls picked up by Nori Johnson and Joe Chealey could have unraveled them. Luckily both those guys made up for it on the offensive end. Nori specifically gave a vintage Cremins-era CofC performance with his former coach in the stands. The senior went 5-of-9 from deep for the game and was absolutely unconscionable in the 2nd half as he drained shot after shot to blow open what was a 49-49 tie. He even had a momentum-shifting steal and drive to the basket for an and-1 to show CDW he cares about defense too. Chealey had perhaps his best game since the season opener. He got to the rim and finished through contact as well as hit some timely second half threes. Guard play and the first double-double of AT's career proved too much for JMU to overcome.

Overall just a really solid first conference game for the Cougars. They came out with more energy and passion than I have seen all year. In a game without much offensive production from Hall, Baru and no Barry, the CofC guards were fired up all night and seized the opportunity to boost those dreadful ppg and field goal numbers. James Madison is young but they look like they could be real trouble the next time we meet. The hot shooting is unlikely to carry over from game to game but I don't expect the poor inside play of Hall and Baru to remain either. Regardless, tonight was a great way for the Cougars to introduce themselves to the rest of their new conference.