CHARLESTON, S.C. – Behind its best-shooting effort of the season the College of Charleston men's basketball team upended league-frontrunner William and Mary, 80-72, in Colonial Athletic Association play on Thursday night at TD Arena.

Charleston (7-17, 2-9 CAA) shot 55 percent from the floor – 58 percent in the second half – and finished with five players in double figures, marking CofC's best-offensive output since dropping 85 points at Charlotte on Dec. 20, 2014.

Sophomore Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the Cougars with 19 points, while sophomore Joe Chealey (Orlando, Fla.) added 16 and freshman Evan Bailey (Canton, Ohio) and senior Adjehi Baru (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) both poured in 12.

Senior point man Anthony Stitt (Charlotte, N.C.) returned the floor after a seven-game absence and scored 10 points, adding five assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Complemented by a resurgent offense, the Cougars' defense remained stout as it held the Tribe (14-8, 8-3 CAA) to their lowest-scoring total and shooting-percentage since an 86-64 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 30 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Cougars won the battle beneath the basket as well, finishing with 28 points in the paint and owning a 30-26 rebound advantage.

W&M, which entered the game as the nation's fifth-best shooting team (50.0%), opened on 7-of-9 shooting and stretched a 16-6 lead as the Cougars looked to get into a rhythm.

In front of an enthused crowd of 3,305 fans welcoming them home from a three-game road stretch, Charleston found offensive success down low, scoring eight of its first 10 points in the paint before a Bailey three-pointer cut an early deficit to a manageable six points at the 12-minute mark.

Charleston cut it to three over the next four minutes, but the Tribe buried back-to-back threes to lead 26-17 around the eight-minute mark.

The Cougars spawned a 12-3 run capped by threes from Bailey and freshman Cameron Johnson (Athens, Ga.) to tie the game, 29-29, at the four-minute mark.

W&M mustered a response from behind the arc to momentarily recapture their fleeting lead, but the Cougars scored the final six points of the half to lead 35-32 at the break. CofC held the Tribe scoreless for the final three minutes of the period, forcing W&M to go 0-for-4 and 1-of-6 down the stretch while the Cougars made 4-of-5.

The College opened the second half in similar fashion, converting on three straight and 6-of-8 field goal attempts while denying the Tribe a field goal until the under 14-minute mark.

After a Stitt three-pointer pushed CofC's lead to double digits, the Cougars's next seven points came from Barry, stretching the margin to a game-high 12 points with 9:01 to play.

The Tribe endeavored to chip away at the deficit and cut it to 65-59 at the 6:27 mark. From there the Cougar defense tightened, however, as W&M would manage just two points over the next five-and-a-half minutes of game clock.

W&M's Omar Prewitt – who finished with a game-high 22 points – made a late three in the final minute, but CofC converted its free throws down the stretch to seal the result, eventually matching a season-high 24 made free throws.

CofC will next host Drexel (8-14, 6-5) as part of CofC Basketball Alumni and CofC Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The game will be televised live locally on MyTV Charleston and tickets are still available for purchase at: (843) 953-COFC.

POSTGAME NOTES

• For the seventh time this season, the Cougars started Joe Chealey, Cameron Johnson, Canyon Barry, Donovan Gilmore and Adjehi Baru (2-5).

• With the win, College of Charleston split the regular-season series with William & Mary for the second year in a row. Both teams have protected their respective home courts the last two years.

• Five players scored in double figures for the first time this season in a single game. CofC previously had six games with four double-figure scorers prior to the William & Mary game.

• Canyon Barry knocked down a team-high 19 points against William & Mary on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 7-for-7 performance from the free throw line. He extended his double-digit scoring streak to a career-best nine games and it mark his seventh perfect performance from the charity stripe this season.

• Joe Chealey turned in his third-straight game in double figures with 16 points including 8-for-11 from the free throw line. CofC tied a season-high for free throw makes (24) and was sent to the line a season-high 33 times versus William & Mary.

• Anthony Stitt returned to the lineup after missing the last seven games of conference play recovering from a knee injury. He contributed a game-high five assists, 10 points and five rebounds against the Tribe. Stitt has now tallied 292 career assists and is eight away from joining the 300-Assist Club.

• Evan Bailey came off the bench and registered his third career double-figure game with 12 points against William & Mary.

• For the ninth time this season and five out of the last seven consecutive CAA games, CofC has outrebounded its opponents, 30-26 (+4).

• The Cougars held the No. 38-ranked scoring offense in the nation (74.9 ppg) to its fewest points in league play this season (72 points). W&M's previous league season-low was 73 points at Drexel on Jan. 5. They also held the CAA's second-leading scorer Marcus Thornton (19.2 ppg) to under his average with 15 points.

• CofC shot a season-best 54.5 percent (24-of-44) from the floor and turned in its second-highest scoring output of the season (80 points) behind a season-high 85 in overtime at Charlotte on Dec. 16.

POSTGAME QUOTES

College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant

On getting a win against the best team in the conference after fighting so long with close games …

“Well, obviously it beats the alternative. It feels good just to see our players be rewarded for their hard work. We had so many close games in the last four weeks and we've been losing by two-and-three points and seven of those games we were without Anthony Stitt. We went 1-6 without Stitt. We lost a total of seven games by a total of 20-something points. It was good to see our guys come out and really have some success. After the Towson and Delaware trip, we talked about preparation for success. If you practice really well, then you are prepared and more confident in the games. We had three great practices. Certainly having Stitt made a difference. It was a total team effort tonight.”

On the relief of winning a game after so many close ones …

“I still think our defense can be better, so we have work to do there. Seventy-two points is a lot to give up. I was happy that we could score 80. But, we still have a lot to do in terms of building our defense. So many guys contributed tonight – Evan Bailey had 12 points and Canyon Barry scored the ball well. Cameron Johnson played well as did Adjehi Baru and Anthony Stitt. We had so many guys in double digits. It was good to move the ball the way we did and really shoot it with confidence.”

College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Canyon Barry

On how important a signature win like this was to the team …

“It's big anytime we have been on a losing streak to come in and beat one of the best teams in the league. We knew we were capable of it and we've been playing well. We've been playing better every game. We've just had a bunch of tough games in a row, so it is nice to finally pull one together. We had a great team effort top-to-bottom and it was great to get a win tonight.”

On the job Cameron Johnson did on William & Mary's Marcus Thornton …

“Cam is one of our best defenders which is saying a lot as a freshman – to come in and be able to guard one of the best players in the league. It is huge for our team to have a guy be able to do that and to just hound 24/7 on defense. Cam is a big asset to us. He obviously had a great game offensively and defensively tonight, so I don't think we would have won the game without Cam.”

College of Charleston Freshman Guard Cameron Johnson

On guarding William & Mary's Marcus Thornton …

“First of all, (Marcus) Thornton is a heck of a player. It wasn't just me. It was a team effort. Coming off ball screens, Adjehi (Baru) helped a lot. We doubled-teamed him sometimes. All my teammates on the court were talking the whole time and made me feel like I could press up on him and not worry about getting beat. It was a total team effort tonight.”

On feeling the thrill of victory at home as a young freshman …

“I can't explain the moment. I was so excited. We've been on this losing streak and it feels good to beat the No. 1 team in the league. It is just a rush of adrenaline. It is exciting and we are going to get back to work and keep working hard to get this feeling again.”

William & Mary Head Coach Tony Shaver

On the game …

“There's no doubt the best team out there won tonight. They (College of Charleston) really outplayed us in every phase of the game. It was a great tribute to (CofC Head Coach) Earl (Grant) and his staff. They've had a tough time with close losses and to hold the team together they way they have is a great tribute to them. We know we are going to get everyone's best shot right now. They were the more energetic team and played with more poise tonight. We got what we deserved and they got what they deserved.”