Charleston Surges Past Northeastern, 81-63

Saturday, January 29

Charleston, S.C.

4 PM

College of Charleston

11-9,3-5CAA

Northeastern

6-15,0-10CAA

Northeastern

Col. of Charleston

1/29/2022 7:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Meeks scored 22 points to lift CofC

Charleston, S.C. – Charleston Basketball put together an impressive 81-63 win over Northeastern on Saturday night in front more than 4,000 fans at TD Arena. The Cougars raced by the Huskies with a dominant second half as Charleston outscored Northeastern by 16 over the final 20 minutes.

Senior John Meeks was the catalyst during the breakout second frame, scoring 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Meeks shot 9-of-14 for the game and added four assists, four rebounds and two steals in a stellar all-around performance.

The game was neck-and-neck in the first half with CofC taking a tight 41-39 lead into the locker room at the break. The Cougars clamped down defensively during the opening portion of the second half, parlaying consecutive stops into a 7-0 run to push in front 48-41. CofC would never trail again.

Northeastern sliced its deficit to 62-58 with 5:54 remaining, but the veteran leadership of Meeks and junior Brenden Tucker helped CofC respond in a big way. After a Tucker triple, Meeks absorbed a flagrant foul on the ensuing possession and finished an old-fashioned 3-point play. He then nailed a pair of free throws followed by a trey ball 30 seconds later to balloon Charleston's lead to 72-58.

Head coach Pat Kelsey's squad maintained its advantage over the final four minutes as he earned his 197^th career victory and CofC's third league win of the year.

Key Cougars

John Meeks exploded for 22 points, matching his second-highest output all season.
Dimitrius Underwood posted 10 points with six assists on just two turnovers.
Ben Burnham added nine points with seven rebounds.
Brenden Tucker reached double figures for the second straight game with 14 points off the bench on 5-of-11 shooting.

Game Notes

Dimitrius Underwood is only two steals away from cracking CofC's all-time single-season steals Top 25 list with 48 and counting.
Reyne Smith returned to the top of the CAA 3-pointers leaderboard after sinking two on Saturday. He has 58 for the season.
Saturday marked CofC's largest margin of victory in a conference game since January 30, 2021 and the Cougars' largest overall since the 106-74 season-opening win over South Carolina State.
The win snapped CofC's 5-game losing streak to Northeastern.

Up Next
The Cougars hit the road to face William & Mary and Elon on a two-game swing next Thursday and Saturday. Tip-off vs. William & Mary on Feb. 3 is set for 7 p.m. on FloSports.