CHARLESTON, S.C. - The College of Charleston men's basketball team fell to UNCW 80-74 Thursday night in Charleston.
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After a slow offensive start from both teams, the Cougars were able to push to an early seven-point lead before the Seahawks rallied back to tie the game with a 6-0 run.
Ante Brzovic hit back-to-back triples and
Reyne Smith followed with one of his own to push to a 22-18 edge.
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Both teams took advantage of an offensive surge, trading nine straight baskets.
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UNCW took their first lead of the night with three minutes left in the first half but was short lived as
Kobe Rodgers immediately tied it at 30-30 with a jumper off the fast break. Rodgers then hit a three in the final minute to take a 37-34 advantage into the locker room.
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Smith hit a triple early in the second half to give the Cougars their largest lead of the night at 44-38. The Seahawks fought back to retake the lead at 61-58 with seven minutes left.
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In a battle to the end,
James Scott made a clutch block then converted at the charity stripe on the other end to tie the game at 66-66 with five minutes left. After trading baskets yet again, the Seahawks hit a triple with under two minutes left to push their lead to five.
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Smith drained another trey with 17 seconds left to cut the CofC deficit to three, but UNCW made clutch free throws in the final minutes to secure their win.
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Key Cougars
- Smith scored a three pointer in the opening minutes followed by a free throw to reach 1000 career points alongside his 18 on the night.
- Rodgers scored a team-high 20 points followed by Ben Burnham with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Brzovic was the final Cougar in double-figures with ten points.
- Frankie Policelli grabbed a season high 9 rebounds.
Game Notes
- Charleston was outrebounded for just the fifth time this season, 42-39.
- The Cougars bench, one of the best in the nation, outscored the Seahawks bench 29-22
Up Next
- The Cougars, now 15-7 and 6-2 in CAA play, head to Virginia to face William & Mary Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. in Williamsburg.