CHARLESTON, S.C. – Sophomore Willis Hall (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a career-high 21 points to lead five College of Charleston players in double figures in an 85-63 rout of crosstown rival The Citadel on Thursday night at McAlister Fieldhouse.
The Cougars (20-7, 13-2) scored the game's first 17 points and never trailed on their way to their fifth-straight win and the ninth in the last 10 games. They continue to lead the Southern Conference regular-season race with three games remaining and clinched the South Division with a 9-1 mark against divisional rivals in Furman, Wofford, Davidson, Georgia Southern and The Citadel (9-19, 5-10).
Senior Donavan Monroe (Waxhaw, N.C.) added 16 points, while senior All-America candidate Andrew Goudelock (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and junior Antwaine Wiggins (Greeneville, Tenn.) had 15 each. Freshman Trent Wiedeman (Suwanee, Ga.) had 10 points as the Cougars shot 58.3 percent from the field (35-of-60) behind Hall's perfect 8-for-8 performance.
The Bulldogs cut the Charleston lead down to five in the second half on an Austin Dahn three-pointer, 55-50, with 13:36 remaining in regulation, but the Cougars countered with a Wiggins steal for the dunk and a three by sophomore Andrew Lawrence (London, England) to the put the team back up by 12 which sparked a 20-5 run.
CofC turned the ball over a season-low tying four times and got 23 points off 11 Citadel turnovers and scored 40 of its 85 points in the paint.
The Cougars now have short a one-day turnaround before hosting America East Conference regular-season champion Vermont (22-5, 13-2) in an ESPN BracketBusters game to be held on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Carolina First Arena. Tipoff between the Cougars and Catamounts is scheduled for 5 p.m. (ET) and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Fans can still purchase tickets priced at $20 each for the Vermont game by calling 1-843-953-COFC (2632) or visiting the CofC Athletics Ticket Center online at www.CofCSports.com/tickets.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the fourth time this season and fourth consecutive game without senior Jeremy Simmons in the lineup, CofC used the starting five of senior Donavan Monroe, senior Andrew Goudelock, junior Antwaine Wiggins, sophomore Willis Hall and freshman Trent Wiedeman (4-0).
• The Cougars swept the regular-season series versus The Citadel for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Both teams split the series in 2009-10, while the Bulldogs won both meetings in 2008-09. CofC now leads 47-39 in the all-time series.
• With the victory, the Cougars earn their third consecutive and fourth overall 20-win season under fifth-year head coach Bobby Cremins. Overall, CofC has now posted 20-or-more wins in a single season on 24 different occasions and 15 times since moving to NCAA Division I status in 1991-92.
• For the second-straight contest, CofC had five players (all five starters) score in double figures. Leading the way was Willis Hall who turned in a career-high 21 points on a nearly flawless performance from the floor (8-of-8), beyond the arc (1-of-1) and charity stripe (4-for-5).
• Senior All-America candidate Andrew Goudelock had a near double-double night with 15 points, a season-high tying nine assists and five rebounds versus The Citadel. He has now recorded 2,325 career points to date which ranks second-best in the nation behind Hofstra's Charles Jenkins (2,402). Goudelock is currently on a season-high tying 13-game double-digit scoring streak.
• The Cougars shot 58.3 percent from the floor against the Bulldogs which was their second-best shooting performance of the season behind a 63.6 percent accuracy at Holy Cross on Nov. 13.
• CofC also tied a season low in turnovers (4) for the second consecutive game, while distributing a season-high tying 22 assists for an impressive 5.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Cougars also dished out 22 assists at Chattanooga on Jan. 17.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Bobby Cremins
On the game …
“It was a great start, but we couldn't maintain it. Give The Citadel a lot of credit. They cut it down to five and could have upset us. They really rattled us. We were bending, but we didn't break. We knew what they were capable of doing. It was anyone's game when they cut it to five. It was a hard-fought game. I was really proud of our guys. The Citadel fought back and they made it very interesting. (Andrew) Goudelock made some great assists and he is so important to us. He is our glue. He keeps us together and makes everything happen. I am elated to get a road win. It's always tough playing over here. The tale of the game was when they cut it to five. It was do-or-die right then and we came through.”
College of Charleston Senior Guard Andrew Goudelock
On the team's fast start and balanced scoring …
“We put a lot of emphasis on coming out strong and it set the tone for the whole game. We were kind of surprised they weren't scoring (in the first half). They are a good team and made a run in the second half. I'm ecstatic with our team's defense. It's the best defense we've played since I've been here. We are playing collectively and rebounding as a team. When we have all five starters scoring in double figures, it's tough to beat us.”
