College of Charleston
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Western Michigan
WMU Edges CofC, 66-63
12/25/2009 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
David Kool scored 16 points while Donald Lawson added 10 points and 10 rebounds lifting Western Michigan to a 66-63 win over College of Charleston in the fifth place game at the 2009 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic before 5,402 at Stan Sheriff Center on Friday.
Charleston, which plays host to S.C. State at 4 p.m. on Jan. 2, fell to 6-6. Western Michigan improved to 6-5. The game was tied seven times and there were 12 lead changes.
Kool's 3-pointer with 3:24 left gave the Broncos a 61-58 lead and proved to be the game-winner. Andrew Goudelock's (Lilburn, Ga.) driving layup cut the margin to 61-60 with 2:49 left. Martelle McLemore answered with another 3-pointer with 2:37 left to give WMU a 64-60 lead. Charleston's Donavan Monroe (Waxhaw, N.C.) cut the deficit to 64-63 with a 3-pointer from the left baseline with 2:23 remaining.
Casaan Breeden (Clio, S.C.) rebounded a 3-point miss by Kool with 50 seconds left giving Charleston one last chance. But, Kool stripped Goudelock of the ball with 19 seconds left, and hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to give WMU a 66-63 lead. Monroe's baseline 3-point attempt with three seconds came up short for Charleston.
The teams traded baskets in the first seven minutes of the second half as Charleston led, 40-39. The Broncos ended the trade with a 12-2 run over the next 4:05 to take a 51-42 lead on a McLemore 3-pointer with 8:56 to go.
The Cougars went on an 11-2 run to tie the at 53-all with 5:11 left on the clock. After McLemore followed with a three, Charleston scored five straight to take a 58-56 lead with 3:58 to go. On the next possession, Lawson's putback tied the game at 58-all.
Goudelock, who finished with 17 points, hit a 3-pointer that helped Charleston to an 18-7 lead with 11:32 left in the first half. The Broncos answered with a 10-0 run and eventually grabbed a two-point lead before Charleston's Rashad Wright (Agawam, Mass.) tied the game at 29-all at intermission with a dunk with four seconds left.
Jeremy Simmons (Lithonia, Ga.) added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Cougars. Tony White, Jr. (Knoxville, Tenn.) had 16 points, while Goudelock dished out a game-high five assists and Wright had three blocks.
McLemore finished with 15 points for the Broncos, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc.
Charleston shot 41.7 percent from the floor hitting 25-of-60 attempts. The Broncos shot just 38.7 percent (24-62), but held a 43-26 rebounding edge.
