College of Charleston
1-2
Connecticut
2-0
Cougars Give No. 17 Huskies Full 40-Minute Battle In Loss
11/20/2014 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Four College of Charleston players scored in double figures in a close, 40-minute battle with defending national champion and No. 17-ranked Connecticut, 65-57, in Thursday's opening round of the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
The Cougars (1-2) didn't let the Huskies (2-0) get into any real comfort zone and kept the margin of victory in single digits (eight points) – the fewest in the three-game series between the two schools.
However, foul trouble plagued CofC throughout the ballgame as UConn converted 17-of-27 attempts from the free-throw line and scored 15 points off of 13 turnovers.
The Huskies led by as many as 12 in the second half on a made three-pointer by Daniel Hamilton, who ended the contest with 15 points. Ryan Boatright scored a game-high 19, while Rodney Purvis chipped in 14 including back-to-back threes that proved to be crucial to UConn's scoring spurt to keep the upset-minded Cougars at bay.
It was a valiant effort by CofC as senior Anthony Stitt (Charlotte, N.C.) knocked down a team-high 17 points launching three second-half three-pointers as the Cougars clawed their way back time-and-time again.
Senior big man Adjehi Baru (Abidjan, Ivory) recorded his second consecutive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He fell to the floor after a collision near the end of the second half. CofC Head Coach Earl Grant said Baru's injury was more of a bruise than anything torn and would continue to be evaluated.
Sophomores Joe Chealey (Orlando, Fla.) and Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.
This was the second-straight year the program had gone up against the defending national champion in its first three games of the season. The Cougars will next face Texas A&M (1-1) in a first-time meeting between the two schools tomorrow at noon (ET). The game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the third-straight contest, Joe Chealey, Anthony Stitt, Canyon Barry, Terrance O'Donohue and Adjehi Baru earned spots in the starting lineup (1-2).
• Connecticut remains an undefeated 3-0 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. The Cougars are now 6-19 all-time against Top 25 ranked opponents.
• UConn's eight-point margin of victory was the fewest in the three-game series with CofC next to (+17) in 1995 and (+16) in 1990.
• Senior Anthony Stitt registered a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field against No. 17 UConn. He is currently on a three-game double-digit scoring streak.
• For the second consecutive game, senior Adjehi Baru turned in a double-double performance with 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Huskies.
• Defensively, the Cougars forced UConn to commit 13 turnovers, which they converted into 18 points.
• CofC has now played the defending national champion in three of the last six years: North Carolina (2009-10), Louisville (2013-14) and UConn (2014-15).
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“The first thing I told our guys in the locker room was that they gave great effort. We played really hard and did a great job of sprinting back – taking away transition baskets which is hard to do against a really good team. We have to improve on making sure we can defend with more discipline. Not foul as much by moving our feet and using our chest more than using our hands and beating people to spots. Overall, we gave great effort. We have to continue to learn from these experiences, so we can be the team we want to be as we continue to proceed in the season.”
On the leadership of Anthony Stitt …
“Anthony Stitt is an unbelievable point guard. I am very fortunate in my first year as a head coach to have a senior leader, a general and a guy who is calm on the floor that can also score. He is someone who is battle-tested and has been through some wars. He has made my transition as an assistant coach to head coach easier.”
On UConn's scoring spurt down-the-stretch …
“This game was similar to our last game. Rodney Purvis made two big threes after not making a three all year. We got close and within six points, but Purvis hits back-to-back threes. Their spurt was the lack of executing and certain guys not in the right place for us. I have to be more patient and be more simplistic. I haven't been together with these guys for very long and I have placed a lot on them. Some of those shots were in transition. They (UConn) went on a run that opened the game up in the second half. If we can execute better, get the ball where want it to be, score some points and take it out of the net – maybe, we can avoid some of those spurts.”
College of Charleston Senior Guard Anthony Stitt
On the game …
“I thought we really played hard. Just to echo off what Coach (Earl) Grant said, we have to play without fouling. We had 24 fouls. If we want to be the team that we want to be, we have to cut those down tremendously. We gave them (UConn) free points at the free throw line. It was only an eight-point game. They took 27 free throws and that was the difference in the game. Other than that, we played hard and guarded well. We had a great game plan and we tried to execute it as best as we could. We just have to foul less.”
On UConn's pressure …
“We knew at the beginning they were going to pressure. The game plan for that was to try to get high catches and get into our offense. It was more about us settling into the game and getting to be where wanted to be on the floor. I have to do a better job of cutting down my seven turnovers. But as a team, we only had 13 and only six in the second half. That was a positive. We got into a rhythm where wanted to in the second half.”
