WASHINGTON, DC – The No.3 College of Charleston men's basketball fell 68-67 to No. 2 UNCW in the 2025 Jersey Mike's CAA Men's Basketball Championship on Monday night in DC.  Charleston finishes the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 24-9 for the program's third straight 20+ win season. The Cougars have recorded a 20-win season in 32 of the last 50 years. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Cougars were hot from three early, with Derrin Boyd, CJ Fulton, and Ante Brzovic all draining shots from deep.
• The teams traded points until UNCW took a 32-27 lead, their largest lead of the game with four minutes remaining in the half. The Seahawks ended the frame on a 13-2 run before Fulton sank his third triple of the half to send the Cougars into the locker room down 40-30. Charleston made seven threes in the first half with five Cougars making at least one.
• Brzovic started the second half with a tip-in make, followed by back-to-back threes from Boyd and Tavarez to cut the UNCW lead to five at 45-40 with sixteen minutes to play.
• After Brzovic sank Charleston's tenth three of the night with 15 remaining, the Cougars fell cold going 0-10 from the field during a seven-minute stretch. A Boyd driving layup ended the drought and cut the deficit to four at 52-48.
• Charleston continued to light it up from deep as Tavarez tied the game on a make before Boyd added another to give the lead back to Charleston at 55-52 with six minutes to play.
• The teams then again traded points through the final minutes of play. Charleston led 64-61 with two minutes to play but could not hold on for the win.

KEY COUGARS

• Boyd led Charleston with 18 points and eight rebounds.
• Fulton contributed 12 points, four rebounds and five assists.
• Lazar Djokovic grabbed a game high 11 rebounds.
• Brzovic and Deywilk Tavarez each added 11 points.

GAME NOTES

• UNCW outshot Charleston 40% to 36%. The Cougars outrebounded the Seahawks 37-33.
• The Cougars sank 14 threes, a new program record in the CAA Championship.