Cougars End Non-Con Season on a High Note

Final Score: College of Charleston 86, Campbell 68
Top Performers:
Canyon Barry 30 pts, (11-18 FG, 5-9 3pt), 5 rebs
Troy Harper 25 pts, (8-19, 7-8 FT), 6 rebs, 4 asts

What a difference perspective makes. On Saturday against Miami, the ACC Network broadcasting crew applauded CofC's effort and toughness on defense, but when Miami started making a run they chalked it up to the superior length and athleticism of the Canes. Playing in front of just over 1,000 fans in Buies Creek, NC three days later, the Campbell broadcasters were in awe of "the best team the Camels have faced this year." The Cougars were just "big at every position, with quickness to boot."

It took this team a year or two to recruit the type of athletes to compete in the CAA, but Coach Grant's philosophy on winning with defense, rebounding and toughness has left its mark. The Cougars can at hang with most teams in the country in terms of size, and the 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes prove that.

Against the Campbell Camels of the Big South yesterday, CofC looked like their were in a different weight division. The sub-six foot freshman scoring sensation Chris Clemons was held to an inefficient 14 point night, the Cougars dominated the glass (36-24) and Canyon Barry reached 30 points for the third game this year and made it look relatively effortless.

Against the Camels' zone defense, the Cougars moved the ball to open shooters (usually Barry, who had 25 in the first half). Marquise Pointer tied his career high with 16 points, Cam Johnson bounced back from the Miami game with 15 points. Payton Hulsey controlled the offense and pulled down an insane 12 boards from the point guard position.

Down by as much as 27 in the second half, Campbell threw the kitchen sink at CofC when they rotated in their fastest players and switched to full court pressure. The Cougars were clearly rattled and turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions to allow a 14-0 run by the Camels. It wasn't until Hulsey came back in and made two big layups that the Cougars steadied themselves. 

CofC was lucky they had built themselves such a big lead, because that bad stretch was very Miami-like in shifting the momentum. We saw the damage the points-off-turnovers snowballing can have, so the Cougars will need to correct that over the coming days before conference play begins.

But really, that was the only stain on an otherwise dominant performance by the Cougars. It's not even New Years and Charleston is just one win shy of their season total from last year. The new players have all been good to great contributors, and guys like Barry and Johnson are much improved. There's no team in the CAA that looks like a runaway favorite. The Cougars will look to make a good first impression on the league with a Virginia road trip against JMU on New Years Eve and William & Mary on January 2nd. 

More notes:

• The Marquise Pointer two hand jam coming down the lane may have been the play of the year so far for Charleston. Totally unexpected and representative of the explosiveness these CofC freshmen possess. 
• Of Campbell's 13 turnovers for the game, 8 came off steals from the CofC defense
• For the game, Charleston shot 58% from the floor, 47.4% from three and 65% from the line
• Campbell received zero points from their bench in this game. CofC reserves poured in 21