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.