College of Charleston
16-10, 8-7CAA
Delaware
7-19, 2-13CAA
Second-Half Comeback Not Enough For Cougars In Road Loss
2/19/2016 4:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK, Del. – Three players scored in double figures in a second-half comeback by College of Charleston that fell short of Delaware, 62-59, in the final seconds of regulation on Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.
With one second remaining and the Cougars (16-10, 8-7 CAA) with possession of the ball, freshman Marquise Pointer (Jonesboro, Ark.) tossed up a half-court shot that banked off the glass and bounced off the rim as the Blue Hens (7-19, 2-13 CAA) hung on for their second win in the last three games against conference foes.
CofC outscored Delaware, 37-29, in the second half behind defensive stops and three-point plays. Freshman forward Jarrell Brantley (Columbia, S.C.) scored seven-consecutive points for the Cougars as they narrowed the gap to single digits after trailing 33-22 at halftime.
Pointer drilled a three-pointer that sparked a 16-7 run as CofC got within three, 50-47, with 4:48 remaining in the ballgame. Delaware's Marvin King-Davis answered with seven-straight points to give the Blue Hens a 57-49 lead with 2:24 left, and Anthony Mosley made six free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Brantley posted a near double-double with 16 points and team-high nine rebounds, while sophomore Cameron Johnson (Athens, Ga.) had balanced scoring in both halves with a team-high 15 points. Pointer ended the night with 11 points and redshirt freshman Nick Harris (Dacula, Ga.) added eight.
CofC will host UNCW (20-6, 12-3 CAA) in its regular-season home finale on Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The game will be televised nationally on the American Sports Network. Tickets are still available for purchase by calling the CofC Ticket Office at: (843) 953-COFC or going online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
For more information on College of Charleston Basketball, follow the Cougars on Twitter at @CofCBasketball.
POSTGAME NOTES
· College of Charleston used the starting lineup of freshman Marquise Pointer, sophomore Cameron Johnson, junior Payton Hulsey, freshman Jarrell Brantley and redshirt freshman Nick Harris (7-6).
· Delaware split the regular-season series with College of Charleston and now leads the all-time series, 5-3. The Cougars are now 0-3 on the road at Delaware since joining the CAA in July of 2013.
· Jarrell Brantley registered his eighth-consecutive game in double figures with 13 points and was one rebound short of a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds at Delaware.
· Cameron Johnson led CofC in scoring for the seventh time this season with 15 points in a career-and season-high tying 39 minutes of action at Delaware.
· Marquise Pointer registered 11 points with three three-pointers at Delaware. He also brought down a career-high tying six rebounds including two on the offensive end.
· Payton Hulsey dished out a team-leading four assists at Delaware and is now 10 assists away from turning in a 100+ assist season.
· The Cougars, who lead the CAA in scoring defense and rank No. 10 nationally, held the Blue Hens to 62 points in the loss. They have now held league opponents to 65 points or less in 14-of-15 contests this season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“In the first half, we kind of settled for things in the perimeter against their 3-2 zone. It took us awhile to figure out where the ball needed to go. I thought in the second half, we were a lot more efficient in the offense and scored 37 points. It took us awhile and they had some good looks, but we didn't knock them down.”
On the shots not falling tonight against Delaware …
“We are a good shooting team. In the first half, we attempted some threes. We had some good looks by some good shooters and didn't knock them in. I want those guys taking those shots on the next opportunity they get, because they can shoot it well. We want them shooting those shots. Delaware made five threes in the first half and made some big shots. We dug ourselves a hole in the first half and were down 11. We beat them in the second half, but in the first half, we didn't play well enough to win this game.”
On the team's foul trouble and toughness on the road …
“We have to be more efficient on offense. I told them in the locker room, 'we have to have a better lift from our bench.' We have a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes. There were too many opportunities we had around the basket and in the paint. In certain situations, you have to have a road toughness. We didn't have it tonight. When you don't have it on the road, you don't win. Delaware has been in close games with everyone the last four or five games. We have to be better and learn from this.”
