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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Senior Donavan Monroe (Waxhaw, N.C.) scored a career-high 30 points and recorded his 1,000th career point to lead College of Charleston to a 92-84 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday night at Carolina First Arena.
The Cougars (6-3, 2-0) are off to a perfect 2-0 start to Southern Conference play and have now shot 50 percent or better from the floor in back-to-back games against South Division foes in Davidson and Georgia Southern (2-7, 0-2).
CofC jumped out to an early 18-2 run courtesy of a barrage of three-pointers by preseason SoCon Player of the Year Andrew Goudelock (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and sophomore Andrew Lawrence (London, England), who made his first career start versus the Eagles. Freshman James Carlton (Winterville, N.C.) also had an open look down low during the opening stretch to slam down his first career dunk.
Eric Ferguson ended GSU's scoring drought with layup at the 15:37 minute mark, but the Cougars were running on all cylinders as 27 of the team's 44 first-half points were from the two Andrews and only made three turnovers prior the going into halftime with a 44-31 advantage.
The youth-laden Eagles never gave up in the second half as they cut the lead down to as few as seven points on three occasions in the final four and half minutes of regulation, but could never get closer. The Cougars converted 21-of-26 attempts from the charity stripe including Monroe's 11-of-12 performance at the line. He became the 27th all-time player to earn entrance into the 1,000-Point Club.
Goudelock extended his scoring streak to nine-straight games scoring 11 of his 20 points prior to the first media timeout. Lawrence turned in a career-high 16 points, while freshman Trent Wiedeman (Suwanee, Ga.) recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cougars will return to action with a Tuesday, Dec. 7 non-conference matchup slated versus 2010 NCAA Tournament participant East Tennessee State at 7 p.m. (ET) at Carolina First Arena. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-843-953-COFC (2632) or visiting the CofC Athletics Ticket Center online at www.CofCSports.com/tickets.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the first time this season, CofC used the starting lineup of senior Donavan Monroe, senior Andrew Goudelock, sophomore Andrew Lawrence, sophomore Willis Hall and freshman Trent Wiedeman (1-0). It marked the first career starts for Lawrence and Wiedeman.
• Senior Jeremy Simmons and junior Antwaine Wiggins did not play against Georgia Southern due to a violation of team rules, in a statement made by head coach Bobby Cremins before the game.
• With the victory, the Cougars take a 19-17 advantage in the all-time series with Georgia Southern. They extend their winning streak in the series to seven-straight games.
• Andrew Goudelock moved into second all-time in career scoring with 11 points prior to the first media timeout and ended the night with 20 against the Eagles. He surpassed former player Greg Mack who registered 1,901 career points from 1981-85. It marked Goudelock's third consecutive game scoring 20-or-more points and 32nd 20-point game of his career. He has now tabulated 1,913 career points to date.
• Donavan Monroe registered his 1,000th career point with a jumper at the 4:09 minute-mark of the first half of play. He became the 27th all-time player in school history to join the 1,000-Point Club. Monroe scored a career-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor and a career-best 11-of-12 from the charity stripe versus the Eagles. It marked the first time this season and eighth time of his four-year career to lead the team in scoring.
• Monroe and Goudelock combined for 50 of the team's 92 points in the ballgame which marked the first time to have two CofC players score 20-or-more points in a single game since Goudelock had 27 and former standout Tony White, Jr. had 22 versus Chattanooga in the SoCon Tournament quarterfinals on March 6, 2010 in Charlotte, N.C.
• Andrew Lawrence turned in a career-high 16 points and knocked down a career-best four three-pointers versus GSU. He and Goudelock scored 27 of the team's 44 first-half points. Lawrence's previous career-high of 14 points was also against the Eagles on Jan. 30, 2010 in Statesboro, Ga.
• Trent Wiedeman recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also dished out a career-high four assists and tied bests in blocks (2), steals (2) and minutes played (35).
• Wiedeman (35) and fellow freshmen Nori Johnson (2), James Carlton (13) and Jordan Scott (18) combined for 68 minutes of playing time. Johnson notched his first collegiate point going 1-for-2 from the free throw line, while Carlton scored a career-high four points and Scott tied his career best with three points.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Bobby Cremins
On the game …
“In the beginning of the game I was in shock. I thought, 'this is too good to be true.' We were two guys short and they were a little short, too. It was a really exciting game, but the beginning of it was incredible. Everything went our way. I have to give Georgia Southern a lot of credit. They stayed with their game plan and eventually, their game plan caught up with us.”
On Donavan Monroe passing 1,000 career points …
“I love Donavan. I couldn't find a starting position for him for three years and then Antwaine Wiggins tore his ACL last year. Donovan was a back-up for three years, never complained and kept his ego in check. I'm a big Donovan Monroe fan.”
On playing East Tennessee State on Tuesday with short rest between games …
“I would like to give the players off tomorrow, but we have to practice. We are playing a team that beat us last year and they were league champions. They have been (to the NCAA Tournament) where we want to go.”
College of Charleston Senior Guard Andrew Goudelock
On Georgia Southern getting back in the game …
“We just lost focus. I think we relaxed a little bit. Some of the younger guys came in and they are not used to being in those positions. We got sloppy with the ball and Georgia Southern came out with a lot of energy (in the second half).”
On passing former CofC great Greg Mack for second on the all-time scoring list …
“I didn't even know. It's a great accomplishment. I don't know what to say, I'm just playing basketball. When those things happen, I'm happy for myself, but I'm much happier that we got the win.”
College of Charleston Senior Guard Donovan Monroe
On playing short-handed …
“It's an opportunity for the freshmen and sophomores to get playing time and get a feel for what we do out there on the court.”
On passing 1,000 career points …
“It feels good. I just found out when we walked in the room. It's an accomplishment and something to be proud of.”
