College of Charleston
7-3
Miami (Fla.)
9-1
No. 15 Miami Fends Off Cougars Despite Second-Half Scare
12/20/2015 12:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Click Here For Postgame Video Interview – Canyon Barry
Click Here For Postgame Video Interview – Head Coach Earl Grant
MIAMI, Fla. (AP) – Ja'Quan Newton scored a career-high 20 points off the bench, Sheldon McClellan added 14 and No. 15 Miami showed no signs of rust from its 11-day break for exams in beating College of Charleston, 85-63, on Saturday at BankUnited Center.
Anthony Lawrence scored 11 and Tonye Jekiri added 10 for the Hurricanes (9-1), who led 43-40 early in the second half before blowing the game open. It was also the 100th win at Miami for head coach Jim Larranaga, coming in his 150th game with the Hurricanes.
“I told the team after the game, that was a terrific defensive effort ... just a terrific defensive effort,” Larranaga said. “It led to fast-break layups, baskets, sharing the ball. We had a few too many turnovers, almost getting into each other's way. But our defense was so good for such a long period of time.”
Canyon Barry, the son of former Miami great and Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry, scored a game-high tying 20 points for Charleston (7-3) and did so with his dad watching from the stands. Jarrell Brantley scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Marquise Pointer scored 11 for the Cougars, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
If playing in an arena where his dad's jersey sways from the rafters was imposing, Canyon Berry didn't let it show.
“He's a better student than he's a basketball player, and he's a great basketball player,” College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant said. “Pretty well-rounded. Basketball isn't the only thing he's got going. Pretty good guitarist. He can do a lot of things. I don't think the name is a burden. I don't think it puts pressure on him.”
Canyon Barry was scoreless in 35 minutes against Miami last year. He made 8-of-20 shots on Saturday.
“Terrific player,” Larranaga said. “Terrific offensive player in terms of he can shoot, he can handle, he's terrific in the open court. That's a team that could win their conference and be in the NCAA Tournament, because they're so well balanced.”
Miami came into the game among the nation's leaders in field-goal and three-point percentage, and got right back into rhythm even after the long layoff. The Hurricanes shot 56 percent, topping the 50-percent mark for the seventh time in 10 games this season.
And when the Hurricanes started rolling, the outcome wasn't in doubt.
Canyon Barry made a jumper 5 minutes into the second half to get the Cougars within three. Miami answered with 10-0 run that pushed the lead back into double-digits, and it stayed there the rest of the way.
“It shows we can play with any team in the country for an extended period of time,” Barry said.
CofC will remain on the road with a pre-holiday break game scheduled at Campbell on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. (ET) at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C. The game will be televised live on ESPN3.
For more information on College of Charleston Basketball, follow the Cougars on Twitter at @CofCBasketball.
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the fourth time this season, CofC went with the starting five of junior Payton Hulsey, junior Canyon Barry, sophomore Cameron Johnson, freshman Jarrell Brantley and redshirt freshman Nick Harris (3-1).
· Miami remains an undefeated 4-0 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. It marked the last game in a 2-for-1 series with the Hurricanes, which began during the 2013-14 season. CofC is now 8-31 all-time against schools hailing from the ACC.
· The No. 15/19-ranked Hurricanes were the first Top 25 opponent the Cougars faced this season. They are now 6-21 all-time against ranked schools.
· Canyon Barry registered a game-high tying 20 points with a season-high three steals against Miami. He has now scored in double figures in six-straight games and nine of the last 10. It marked his sixth game this season with 20-or-more points.
· The Cougars made a season-high 13 steals against Miami including a career-best five from freshman Marquise Pointer. He previously had four versus preseason Top 25-ranked LSU on Nov. 13. Pointer turned in his fifth game this season in double figures with 11 points as well as led CofC with a career-high six assists.
· CofC may have lost the battle of the boards, 37-32, but Jarrell Brantley led all rebounders in the ballgame with a career-high 11 including seven on the defensive end. It marked his first career double-double as he added 13 points against the Hurricanes.
· Defensively, the Cougars, who ranked No. 38 nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense, held Miami below their average from three-point range (38.1%). The Hurricanes also shot below their average from the free throw line (67.9%).
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“Miami is a very good team. They played really high-level basketball, made a lot of shots and capitalized on our mistakes. We are still going to have a great season. We just have to learn from our mistakes today and try to improve as a team.”
On getting within three in the second half …
“We got it to three within the 15-minute mark, 43-40. You have to give them (Miami) some credit. Their defensive intensity and their length bothered us. We were able to get the ball at certain spots on the floor. We usually get it to those same spots and capitalize on them. Today, however, we turned the ball over with their length and deflections. With a few ill-advised shots, it was a four-to-five minute round where they capitalized on every mistake that we made and stretched it from three points to 14 points.”
College of Charleston Junior Guard Canyon Barry
On the game and playing at his father's alma mater …
“It was a great atmosphere. It was cool to play at the school that my dad played for. He had a great career here. At the end of the day, we would've liked to come out with the win. We played them (Miami) close for most of the game. There was one stretch in the second half, where we had too many turnovers, a couple of calls and balls didn't go our way. That opened up the game and we couldn't catch up from there. I was proud of our guys. Overall, I thought we played them tough for 28 minutes, but it just got out of hand towards the end.”
On Miami …
“They (Miami) are definitely a very explosive team. Coming into the game, Coach (Earl) Grant said, 'they are one of the top teams in the country and we will have to play solid basketball for a full 38 minutes in order to beat them.' We weren't able to do that tonight. But, we never gave up and kept fighting. We just have to move on and get ready for our next game (at Campbell on Tuesday).”
