College of Charleston
16-13 (8-10CAA)
Hofstra
22-8 (14-4CAA)
Cougars Drop 72-63 Decision To Hofstra In Finale
2/28/2016 1:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Four players scored in double figures as College of Charleston dropped a 72-63 decision to co-regular season Colonial Athletic Association champion Hofstra on Saturday at the Mack Sports Complex.
The Cougars (16-13, 8-10 CAA) were led by a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds from freshman Marquise Pointer (Jonesboro, Ark.) and split the regular-season series with the Pride (22-8, 14-4 CAA).
Preseason CAA Player of the Year Juan'ya Green had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Hofstra, who shared the championship title with UNCW. The Pride led by as many as 14 points on a layup by Rokas Gustys with 15:22 left in regulation. Gustys had 13 points and 14 rebounds.
They led for the majority of the ballgame except for a five-minute period in the first half when sophomore Evan Bailey (Canton, Ohio) knocked down a three-pointer to make the score, 13-12, with 10:58 on the clock.
In the second half of play, CofC would sprint out on a 12-6 run to cut its deficit to 59-51 on a pair of free throws by sophomore Cameron Johnson (Athens, Ga.) with 8:06 to go. He later hit a three-pointer with 2:48 to play to cut it to seven, 68-61.
Johnson ended the night with 18 points including a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line. Freshman Jarrell Brantley (Columbia, S.C.) and junior Payton Hulsey (Memphis, Tenn.) had near double-double outings with 11 points and nine rebounds and 12 points and nine rebounds respectively.
The Cougars will be the No. 7 seed in next week's CAA Men's Basketball Championship to be held on March 4-7 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md. CofC will take on No. 10 seed Delaware (7-22, 2-16 CAA) in the first round on Friday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
For more information on College of Charleston Basketball, follow the Cougars on Twitter at @CofCBasketball.
POSTGAME NOTES
· College of Charleston started freshman Marquise Pointer, sophomore Cameron Johnson, junior Payton Hulsey, freshman Jarrell Brantley and freshman Nick Harris (7-8).
· Hofstra improves to 4-2 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. The Pride also protected its home court and are now 3-0 against the Cougars at the Mack Sports Complex since 2013-14.
· For the eighth time this season, Marquise Pointer led all CofC scorers with a game-high 19 points with a career-high tying four three-pointers at Hofstra. He scored in double figures in 11-of-18 CAA games.
· Cameron Johnson registered 18 points including a career-best performance from the free throw line (8-for-8). He has scored in double figures in 21-of-29 overall games this season.
· Payton Hulsey turned in a near double-double performance with a season-high tying 12 points and nine rebounds at Hofstra. He is currently on a three-game double-digit scoring streak.
· Jarrell Brantley fouled out of the ballgame with a near double-double turning in 11 points and nine rebounds. He continues on a career-best 11-game double-digit scoring streak dating back to Jan. 23.
· Nick Harris made a career-high tying four blocked shots at Hofstra. He also recorded four rebounds.
· CofC had four-or-more players score in double figures for the eighth time this year next to games against Navy, The Citadel (5 players), North Greenville (5 players), Hofstra (5 players), Elon, Delaware and Northeastern.
· The Cougars won the battle of the boards outrebounding the Pride, 38-32. Hofstra came into the ballgame as the league's top rebounding ballclub averaging 39.8 boards per game.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
“They (Hofstra) beat us, made more shots and made enough plays to win it tonight. We just played against the best team in our league, the champions of the CAA. We have to get back to work. It's disappointing that we lost, because we beat them before. But, we need more guys to do more.”
On the upcoming CAA Tournament in Baltimore …
“There's a lot of parity in the league. Most games are going to be close. They (Hofstra) beat us by nine tonight, but it should have been closer. We had some missed opportunities. All of the games in the CAA Tournament are going to be competitive and tough. We will prepare and get ready for Delaware (in the first round).”
On the team's mindset heading into the tournament …
“We will get after it next week and prepare to win a game – to win a tournament. That's going to be our mission. You have to be in it to win it. We are very capable and are going into it with that approach. It's a quick turnaround, but you have to take it one game at time. If you don't win the first one, it doesn't matter.”
