College of Charleston
2-3
George Mason
1-4
Baru's Return Sparks Tourney Win Over George Mason In Puerto Rico Tip-Off
11/23/2014 10:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Two seasons ago, one point was the difference between the College of Charleston or George Mason moving on to the quarterfinals of the postseason College Basketball Invitational in 2013.
With mere seconds left in regulation on Sunday, it was another one-point differential that led the Cougars (2-3) to a 61-60 victory over the Patriots (1-4) in the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off seventh-place game at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
Adjehi Baru, who missed his first game in 80 consecutive starts versus Texas A&M in Friday's consolation round, returned to the lineup and showed why he is a difference maker. He scored 10 of the team's 24 points in the paint including the eventual game-winning free throw – the first of his two attempts from the foul line with 19 seconds remaining on the game clock.
A missed three-point attempt by George Mason's Vaughn Gray from the left corner at the buzzer sent the Cougars home with a win from the islands. They previously went 1-2 in the 2007 Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
The Patriots scored four consecutive points in less than a minute to tie the game at 60 with 45 seconds left to go. The Cougars led by as many as 10 in the second half of play, but a five-minute scoring drought allowed the Mason comeback.
Canyon Barry scored a game-and season-high 17 points including a three-pointer at the 10:19 minute mark that gave CofC its largest lead of the contest. He and Baru were joined in double figures by a pair of freshmen in Cameron Johnson, who had a career-high 13, and Donovan Gilmore, 10.
Shevon Thompson led George Mason with a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Both mid-major programs entered the contest with 1-3 records and back-to-back losses in the tournament to No. 17-ranked Connecticut and Texas A&M as well as West Virginia and New Mexico respectively.
The Cougars will play a non-bracketed game as an extension of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at West Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in Morgantown, W.Va.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the second consecutive game, the Cougars went with the starting five of Joe Chealey, Anthony Stitt, Canyon Barry, Terrance O'Donohue and David Wishon (1-1). It marked Wishon's second career start.
• With the win, College of Charleston improved to 4-2 in the all-time series with George Mason and snapped a two-game losing streak to the Patriots.
• The last five meetings in the series have now been decided by eight points or less and the last two by one point. CofC previously lost on a last-second tip-in, 78-77, in the CBI First Round on March 19, 2013 at TD Arena.
• Canyon Barry knocked down a season-and game-high 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. He also dished out two assists in 36 minutes of play.
• Adjehi Baru returned to the lineup after missing the Texas A&M game with a minor knee injury suffered in the opening round against No. 17 Connecticut. He turned in his fourth-straight contest in double figures with 10 points.
• Joe Chealey brought down a season-and team-high six rebounds (all on the defensive end) against George Mason.
• Cameron Johnson registered a career-high 13 points including a perfect 3-for-3 shooting performance beyond the arc against George Mason.
• Donovan Gilmore recorded his third double-digit scoring game with 10 points in only 15 minutes of play against versus Patriots. He and Johnson combined for 23 of the team's 37 first-half points.
• Freshman Evan Bailey scored his first career points of his collegiate career with a three-pointer at the 6:51 minute mark in the first half of play. He also made two of the team's seven steals in the ballgame.
• CofC dished out a season-high 20 assists versus George Mason which tied 20 assists in their road win at Furman in the season opener on Nov. 14.
• The Cougars made 22 field goals with 20 of those assisted. They had an assist on 18-straight made field goals in the contest.
• George Mason committed an opponent season-high 17 turnovers which CofC converted into 14 points.
• The last four consecutive teams to win the seventh-place game at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off have advanced to the NCAA or Postseason NIT including Kansas State in 2013-14.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“We played good enough to win today. We had 20 assists on 22 made field goals for the game, so every one of our baskets, but two, were assisted today. We are very unselfish and we share the ball. At halftime, we had 37 points and two of my freshmen had 23 of those points. The hard thing is, late in the game, I'm playing four guards. We have to find a way for us to be more efficient on offense when I go to that untraditional lineup. I'm proud of our guys. I told them to celebrate. We'll watch the film and see what we need to improve upon. We played good in our first two games here and lost. Today, we didn't play as well, but still won.”
On the return of Adjehi Baru to the lineup …
“It would have been hard to win the game today without (Adjehi) Baru, but he was able to come back after one day of rest and help us. He just came in and gave us a great lift and played great around the basket. He made a few shots, took a few charges and just was a warrior for us. I am just excited he was able to play today and help us get a win.”
On Canyon Barry's contributions to the win …
“Canyon (Barry) knows he can score. He had a couple of games last year where he had 25+ points. We've only had two months to work with him. Me being a new coach and for him to find 17 points in our system – he is getting more comfortable in our system. This game will help him moving forward. Maybe, it will even help him when we play West Virginia next week, knowing he can make big shots in big-time moments.”
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Canyon Barry
On the game …
“The team really showed their spirit today. We played two very tough games where we thought we played well before this one here in Puerto Rico and things didn't turn out the way we would want them to. This obviously helps us leave here with some confidence and enthusiasm going into the rest of our season. We thought it was a great team effort in getting the win today. We focused on getting a win and it was a great team effort. Our freshman Cameron Johnson came out big, especially shooting incredibly well in the first half. Another freshman, Donovan Gilmore, played considerable minutes and was very productive. The team played very well, especially in the first half where we had 12 assists on 13 buckets. So that's one of our big keys this year – trying to share the ball.”
