Charleston, S.C. -- Charleston Men's Basketball improved to 2-0 on the young season with an 86-77 win over Lipscomb on day two of the Rising Coaches Classic on Friday night at TD Arena. CofC is 2-0 to start the campaign for the third time in the last four years.
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Charleston's tenacious defense turned it up a notch for the second consecutive day as the Cougars racked up 22 points off Lipscomb's turnovers and outrebounded the Bisons, 49-39. Senior
John Meeks led four Cougars in double figures with 16 points and senior
Dalton Bolon chipped in 15 points off the bench, including a key late three to stave off a Lipscomb run.
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CofC trailed by as many as seven midway through the first half, 38-31. That's when freshman
Babacar Faye turned the tide with an old-fashioned three-point play that keyed an 8-0 Charleston run to surge the Cougars back in front. Junior
Brenden Tucker scored the final five points of the first half as CofC finished the first frame on a 15-3 run to take a 46-41 edge into halftime.
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Head coach
Pat Kelsey's squad pushed ahead by as many as 19, continuing its momentum early in the second half. Lipscomb responded and clawed back steadily down the stretch to get within one possession before clutch free throws and the trifecta from Bolon late allowed the Cougars to stretch the lead again. CofC would never trail in the second half en route to the 86-77 victory.
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Key Cougars
Game Notes
- Senior John Meeks now has 31 career double-digit scoring games.
- Senior Osinachi Smart pulled in double-digit boards for the seventh time in his career.
- Sophomore Fah'mir Ali is just the fourth Cougar since the start of the 2019-20 season to dish at least six assists in a game, joining Zed Jasper, Grant Riller and Payton Willis.
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Up Next
The Cougars continue the Rising Coaches Classic tomorrow night against Loyola (Maryland) at 5 p.m. at TD arena.
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