Brantley Powers Cougars in CAA Opener

Final Score: College of Charleston 65, JMU 62
Top Performers:
Jarrell Brantley 29 pts, (13-14 FG, 1-1 3pt), 7 rebs, 3 ats, 2 stls
Ron Curry 23 pts, (7-12, 5-7 3pt), 4 rebs, 2 asts

If you had told JMU Head Coach Matt Brady that his team would hold CAA leading scorer Canyon Barry scoreless from the field for the duration of the game, he probably would've liked his team's chances to pick up their ninth straight win and first victory in conference play. Unfortunately, Brady and his Dukes did not gameplan for CofC freshmen Jarrell Brantley, who seemed to put it all together yesterday to guide Charleston to a 1-0 start in the Colonial.

Brantley, who has shown flashes of brilliance all season, was an unstoppable force at the Convocation Center, drawing praise from JMU announcers and NBA Hall of Famer / Harrisonburg-native Ralph Sampson. He made his first 13(!) shots from the field, not missing from his spots until the final minutes of the game. His versatility and size make him a tough defensive assignment, and his ability to shoulder the scoring load could not have come at a better time.

Even with Canyon struggling to hit anything, the Cougars were able to build a 10-point second half lead behind their usually stout defense, offensive rebounds and the outside shooting of Cam Johnson (who exploded for 19 points and a 5-8 performance from behind the arc). Yet no lead is safe when you're going against a veteran team picked to finish second in the conference. Behind the shooting of Ron Curry and Shakir Brown, JMU eventually drew even with Charleston and the lead would seesaw back and forth with each possession.

The final 30 seconds of the game had two plays that would decide the victor. First, with 28 seconds left in a tied game, fellow freshman Marquise Pointer made the ballsy decision to look off a still scoreless (but open) Canyon Barry and drive to the hoop for a tough finger roll layup. He drained it and probably could've drawn a foul called on the play. Then with 5 seconds to go, Curry drew a foul and went to the line with a chance to tie the game. He swished the first free throw, but his second attempt rimmed out and Canyon controlled the rebound. 

One intentional foul later on Canyon Barry, who swished his first and second points of the game with 4 seconds to play, followed by a missed heave from Curry and this game was over. 

The win is a huge confidence builder for Charleston, who proved to themselves and the CAA that they are not dependent on Barry to beat a quality team on the road. Brantley had a legitimate breakout game after we've seen similar performances by the other freshmen (Harris and Pointer). The defense, rebounding and ball movement of the Cougars was also as sharp as it has ever been - even in the first conference game for Earl Grant's young team.

If the Cougars can follow this up with a second road victory against William & Mary tomorrow, they will really put the league on notice. But even if they split this road trip, the Cougars have proven that they will be a tougher out this season than many predicted back in September.

More notes:

• James Bourne is out 3-4 weeks after having minor knee surgery. In his absence, the team turned to Terrance O'Donohue for extended minutes, but they will miss Bourne's defense and experience to start CAA play. This already young team will be senior-less until late January at least.
• For the second straight game the Couagrs' leading rebounder was their starting point guard. Payton Hulsey had his usually quiet game scoring, but had 5 assists, 9 boards and 3 steals. Coach Grant is going to have some tough rotation decisions to make when Chealey and Riller are healthy next year.
• The Dukes are 0-4 when they are outrebounded. CofC won that battle 37-31 and had a 13-7 edge in offensive rebounding to give them eight more second chance points.
• Elsewhere in the CAA, William & Mary dropped their league opener at home to Towson (76-69), Hofstra took care of a shorthanded Delaware team (90-80), UNCW defeated the struggling Drexel Dragons (75-63) and Northeastern won on the road at Elon (86-79)