Final Score: College of Charleston 47, Drexel University 46
Top Performers:
Willis Hall 9 pts, 11 rebs, go-ahead jumper with 3.8 seconds remaining
Frantz Massenat 16 pts, 5 rebs, 2 stls
Please check with your doctor to see if your heart is healthy enough to use CofC basketball. Side effects include shortness of breath, loss of hair, disenchantment with collegiate basketball and mood swings.
In another ugly, low-scoring affair it seemed as if the Cougars were in for another close loss. The script was the same as it had been in four of the last five games. In the final minutes the whole gang showed up for The College: turnovers, careless fouls, missed free throws. But a funny thing happened that swung the narrative of the entire evening. Down one with under 20 seconds to go, Anthony Stitt had his potential three blocked by Tavon Allen and the ball fell to Willis Hall - who turned and shot a rainbow jumper over his defender that swished through the basket with 3.8 seconds to go.
But the game was not over yet. And there was still plenty of time for Charleston to find a way to lose like they did against Delaware and Towson. The ball ended up in the hands of Drexel's best player - Chris Fouch - who dribbled untouched the length of the court and blew a lay-up after the C of Seas had parted. A miss that had Head Coach Bruiser Flint, already given a technical at the end of the first half, up in arms and bombastically calling for a goaltend or foul as his assistants restrained him.
It was a win the Cougars desperately, desperately needed to have fall their way. The mental weight of so many close losses takes it's toll on the players and the pressure to win must've been great on Wojcik. In the end it took two mini miracles but the Cougars picked up a W.
Which is even more relieving given that losing on your home floor in a game in which both teams score in the 40's would've really had the townspeople of Charleston reaching for the torches and pitchforks. Both teams played good to great defensively but there was a lid on the basket all night. The boxscore is hard to look at but a few things stand out - 0 for 9 from behind the arc for Drexel, 0 for 7 at the free throw line for Adjehi Baru. Neither team shot above 33% from the field and both hovered around 50% from the charity stripe.
The offense for Drexel was made up of getting out in transition, passing the ball ahead on outlets after long defensive rebounds, and attacking Canyon Barry in the half court. Allen was the main offender, mostly in the second half as he was able to take advantage of Charleston's porous north-to-south defense.
CofC's points came by committee as well. Even as the team's sole double-digit scorer, Barry got his points mostly at the line. Then there were big baskets down the stretch by Stitt (a three) and Hall (an old-fashioned three point play and the game winner).
But I must reiterate a point I made at the conclusion of the game. It's way better to win having only scored 47 than to hold your opponent to 46 points and not be able to close the door on them at home. No matter how offensively averse or rage-inducing the Cougars were in this game, they took a big step in getting the monkey off their back by picking up a much-needed W. That should help us all sleep at night and have a Happy Valentines day. #KKandWH4Ever
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