College of Charleston
South Carolina (CSS)
CofC Edges USC in Overtime Thriller, 82-80
11/28/2008 5:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A long jumper from sophomore guard Andrew Goudelock (Lilburn, Ga.) sent the game into overtime and a pair of free throws from junior guard Tony White, Jr. (Knoxville, Tenn.) sealed the College of Charleston's thrilling 82-80 overtime victory over in-state rival South Carolina before 5,032 at Carolina First Arena on Friday.
The victory is the first over the Gamecocks since a 40-32 decision on January 17, 1930 and only the second in 29 meetings. The Cougars, who won their fourth in a row, improved to 5-1. The Gamecocks fell to 4-1.
Charleston senior Jermaine Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.), who recorded his 20th career double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, became the 24th player in school history to record 1,000 points, the 12th NCAA Division I player.
Charleston was led by White, Jr.'s 21 points and four steals and Goudelock's 20-point, six-assist performance. Antwaine Wiggins (Greeneville, Tenn.) added 13 points and eight rebounds. Dustin Scott chipped in 10 points.
Trailing 65-61 with 5:37 to play, four straight points from senior forward Dustin Scott (Jamestown, S.C.) sparked a 13-5 run that would give the Cougars a 74-70 advantage with 1:39 to play. Back-to-back three-pointers from South Carolina junior foward Evaldas Baniulis and junior forward Dominque Archie gave the Gamecocks a 76-74 lead with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. With 2.6 seconds remaining, Goudelock drilled a 20-foot jumper from the left wing that sent the game into overtime tied at 76-all.
In that overtime session, White knocked down two free-throws at the 3:10 mark to give CofC a 78-76 lead before USC responded with a quick layup by senior guard Zam Frederick at the other end to the knot the game at 78-78. Two free-throws by Johnson gave the Cougars the lead again, this time at 80-78, with 1:28 left in the period. The Gamecocks' Devan Downey knocked down a jumper that tied the score at 80-80 with 1:09 to play.
After drawing a foul with three seconds remaining, White sunk a pair of free-throws to reach the final margin and sophomore forward Antwaine Wiggins (Greeneville, Tenn.) stole the ensuing inbounds pass to seal the victory.
The Gamecocks jumped out to a 19-9 lead with 13:01 remaining in the half. Trailing 25-12, a three-pointer by Wiggins followed by a layin from Johnson cut USC's lead to 25-17. USC held a 42-41 advantage at intermission.
Charleston wasted no time at the start of the second half as Wiggins gave the Cougars the lead, 43-42, on a dunk 13 seconds into the frame before the Gamecocks responded with four straight points from junior guard Devan Downey to reclaim the lead at 46-43. The teams would continue the back-and-forth affair throughout the second half with CofC taking a 51-48 lead at 14:11 and USC retaking the lead at 59-56 with 8:44 to play. The Cougars would keep the game close, staying within three-points, before allowing the Gamecocks a four-point advantage at 65-61. From there, Charleston staged it's late game heroics to go on to clinch the victory.
Downey led the offensive attack for South Carolina with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting and added four assists and two steals while sophomore center Mike Holmes recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Baniulis finished with 14 points and junior forward Dominque Archie added 12. Senior guard Branden Conrad rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
The Cougars return to action on Thursday, December 4 when they open Southern Conference play against Elon. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Elon, N.C.
NOTES
Jermaine Johnson recorded his 1,000th career point with a layup at the 7:06 mark of the first half ... the evening marked the dedication of Carolina First Arena and John Kresse Court.
