College of Charleston
10-5, 2-2CAA
Drexel
3-12, 1-3CAA
Drexel's Defense Holds Off Charleston, 61-54
1/10/2016 12:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – Drexel was able to hold off College of Charleston, 61-54, behind its defense and converting a season-best 28-of-35 from the free throw line on Saturday at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
It marked the fifth time the Dragons (3-12, 1-3 CAA) drew contact and made better than 20 of their attempts from the charity stripe this season. They ended a four-game losing streak and remained unbeaten at home in the all-time series with Charleston (10-5, 2-2 CAA).
Drexel's Rodney Williams led all scorers with a game-high 19 points, while the Cougars saw balanced scoring among its eight scholarship players on the active roster in the absence of key injured personnel.
Junior college transfer Payton Hulsey (Memphis, Tenn.) made a layup with under five minutes remaining in regulation to pull CofC within two, 50-48. Foul trouble plagued the Cougars as the Dragons were able to convert 11-of-13 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Hulsey was the lone player to reach double-figure scoring with a team-high 11 points. The Cougars shot 43.5 percent from the floor (20-of-46) and 46.7 percent from long range (7-of-15), while defensively they held Drexel to 16.7 percent shooting from behind the three-point arc (1-for-6).
CofC received 20 of its 54 points off the bench from junior reserve Terrance O'Donohue (Norcross, Ga.), who had a season-high eight points and three rebounds, as well as seven points from sophomore Evan Bailey (Canton, Ohio) and a team-high five rebounds and five points from sophomore Donovan Gilmore (Greensboro, N.C.).
A two-game homestand awaits the Cougars upon their return to the Lowcountry with a quick rematch with William & Mary up first on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The game will not be televised locally as originally scheduled and tickets are available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC.
For more information on College of Charleston Basketball, follow the Cougars on Twitter at @CofCBasketball.
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the second time this season, the Cougars had only eight scholarship players on the active roster and went with the starting five of freshman Marquise Pointer, sophomore Cameron Johnson, junior Payton Hulsey, freshman Jarrell Brantley and freshman Nick Harris (1-1).
· Drexel remains an unbeaten 3-0 at home in the all-time series with College of Charleston as the series is now tied at 4-4.
· Payton Hulsey has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games with a team-high 11 points and four assists in 34 minutes of action at Drexel. He knocked down a career-high 12 points versus Hofstra on Jan. 7.
· Terrance O'Donohue contributed a season-high eight points and three rebounds off the bench at Drexel. He was one of only four active players on the roster who had played the Dragons in the program's CAA Tournament first-round victory last March next to Evan Bailey, Cameron Johnson and Donovan Gilmore.
· The Cougars were held to a season-low 54 points and committed a league season-high 15 turnovers at Drexel.
· In its two CAA losses of the season, CofC's opponents have gone a combined 46-of-61 from the free throw line including 18-of-26 at William & Mary on Jan. 2 and 28-of-35 at Drexel on Jan. 9.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“We never got into a flow and never got any transition baskets. We gave up too many offensive rebounds in the first half. We never got any open-court points. They (Drexel) are a very good defensive team and we had a hard time executing today.”
On Drexel's free throws …
“Certainly, they (Drexel) shot 35 and we shot 11. When we played at William & Mary, they shot 29 and we shot 11. Certainly, we have to do a better job of defending without fouling. It seems like we foul more on the road. We will have to watch the film and see.”
On the team's bench play …
“Donovan (Gilmore) came in and gave us a big lift. He rebounded the ball. He played 20 minutes and had five rebounds. He scored a couple of baskets, so it was good to see him contribute. We need him to continue to do that so we can have more depth, since we are playing seven-to-eight guys right now.”
On defending Drexel's big man Rodney Williams …
“One of our keys to the game was post defense. We knew Rodney Williams was one of the better post players in the league. We emphasized doing your work early, walling out and not reaching down and fouling. We sent him to the free throw line too many times and we gave him angles to score. We did a poor job of defending him in the interior and it didn't help that two of our big guys were sitting on the bench due to foul trouble.”
