College of Charleston
10-4, 2-1
Hofstra
10-5, 2-1
Cougars Use Balanced Scoring Attack To Knock Off Hofstra
1/8/2016 4:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston used a balanced attack as five players scored in double figures to knock off preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite Hofstra, 72-61, on Thursday night at TD Arena.
The Cougars (10-4, 2-1 CAA) claimed their 10th win of the season without the services of leading-scorer Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who missed his first game in 46 consecutive starts after suffering a shoulder injury to his non-shooting arm at William & Mary on Jan. 2.
They trailed for the majority of the contest before battling back and taking the lead for good on a layup from redshirt freshman Nick Harris (Dacula, Ga.), 51-49, with 10:50 remaining in regulation.
Freshman Marquise Pointer (Jonesboro, Ark.) earned his first career start and led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 4-for-9 from long range. He was joined in the scoring column by 12 points each from junior transfer Payton Hulsey (Memphis, Tenn.) and sophomore Cameron Johnson (Athens, Ga.) as well as 10 points each from freshmen Jarrell Brantley (Columbia, S.C.) and Harris.
Four of the team's five double-figure scorers did not play last season. CofC got timely contributions in the low post outscoring the Pride, 42-30, in the paint.
Harris scored the first seven points for the Cougars as each team refused to allow the other to pull away in the first half. Trailing by five and fighting off a late first-half push by the Pride, Pointer, on consecutive possessions picked up steals and easy buckets on the other end to tie the game at 35-all.
Hofstra (10-4, 2-1 CAA) responded with a jumper from preseason CAA Player of the Year Juan'ya Green to take a narrow lead into the break, 37-35.
In the second half of play, Charleston used a 15-4 run over the span of seven minutes to separate itself from the Pride. The Cougars shot 60 percent in the final 20 minutes led by Pointer who finished the game 7-for-14 from the floor with a career-high tying six assists.
The lead changed 11 times as Charleston converted on a league season-best 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the field and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc.
The Pride suffered their first loss of the young league season and had their four-game win streak snapped. Defensively, CofC held Hofstra, who ranks No. 38 nationally in scoring offense (81.9 ppg), to a season-low 61 points. The Cougars also held Green to just 10 points.
The Cougars will have a quick one-day turnaround traveling to Drexel (2-12, 0-3 CAA) for a Saturday, Jan. 9 meeting at 4 p.m. (ET) in Philadelphia, Pa.
For more information on College of Charleston Basketball, follow the Cougars on Twitter at @CofCBasketball.
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the first time this season, the Cougars used the starting lineup of freshman Marquise Pointer, sophomore Cameron Johnson, junior Payton Hulsey, freshman Jarrell Brantley and freshman Nick Harris (1-0). It marked the first career start for Pointer.
· With the win, the Cougars ended a two-game losing streak in the all-time series to Hofstra. They have now won two of the three all-time meetings in Charleston since both teams first played each other during the 2013-14 season. The Pride still owns a one-game advantage, 3-2.
· Marquise Pointer recorded a game-high 19 points and has now reached double figures in five out of the last six games for the Cougars. It marked the second-straight game for him to lead the team in scoring behind a career-high 23-point outing at William & Mary on Jan. 2. Pointer also dished out a career-and season-high tying six assists versus the Pride.
· CofC improved to 6-1 on the season when playing at home in the friendly confines of TD Arena.
· Cameron Johnson poured in 12 points against Hofstra and has now scored in double figures in five out of the last seven games. He also made a career-high two blocked shots.
· Nick Harris led the team in rebounding for the first time of his career with seven rebounds versus Hofstra including a career-best six on the defensive end.
· Junior Canyon Barry missed his first game after 46 consecutive starts for the Cougars. His status is currently day-to-day after suffering a shoulder injury to his non-shooting arm at William & Mary on Jan. 2.
· The Cougars shot a league season-best 54.7 percent from the field (29-of-53) and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-16) versus the Pride.
· Defensively, the Cougars shut down a Hofstra offense, which averaged 81.9 points per game. They held the Pride to a season-low output of 61 points and season-low 21.4 percent shooting from long range (3-of-14).
· CofC had five players score in double figures for the second time this season next to North Greenville on Dec. 13. Four of those five players did not suit up for the Cougars last season in Hulsey (12), Harris (10), Brantley (10) and Pointer (19).
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“I thought our guys played with a lot of toughness. We played great defense. We wanted to defend the three-point line and keep them out of the paint. We talked about really being in position and challenging every shot. Being physical when the ball goes in the air, to make sure they only get one chance to shoot in that possession, and we get the ball. We did a great job of following our game plan and playing with a lot of spirit tonight.”
On playing without leading-scorer Canyon Barry …
“Having a player out that scores so well for us, we knew our defense would need to be that much better. So, we depended on that and our guys did a really great job defensively.”
On the win carrying over to the next …
“It all came back to defensive principles. If I could bottle it up, this is what it would look like all the time. We had a great crowd tonight. They helped us. We couldn't have done it without our crowd. We felt them in the building. We felt their spirit.”
On Payton Hulsey's play …
“Payton is a tough kid. His biggest thing that he brings to the table is defensive toughness, size, ability to take care of the ball and distribute. When I recruited him, that's what I envisioned – having a 6-foot-5 guy that could defend and rebound.”
College of Charleston Junior Guard Payton Hulsey
On guarding …
“To be honest, I just try to guard the best person on the other team. I like challenges and I like fulfilling those challenges. I work hard every day on defense. It wasn't just me. It was all of my teammates being connected as one and getting it done tonight.”
On the team's second-half play …
“We actually just locked-in. We got closer than we did in the first half. It wasn't really big changes. We just stayed locked-in the whole time. In the first half, we let them (Hofstra) off the hook a few times, and in the second half, we didn't make those same mistakes.”
