CofC Roll Over Hofstra 92-76 in CAA Tournament

Meeks Fires Up 31 Pts. as Cougs Advance to Meet UNCW Monday Night

By: Jeff Walker, Sportswriter

It’s been a roller coaster ride for the College of Charleston men’s basketball in head coach Pat Kelsey’s first season. Heading into the CAA Championship the Cougars wrapped up the regular season just over .500, finishing 16-14 overall and 8-10 in the league. Less than one week after closing out the regular season with an 89-84 road loss at Hofstra, Charleston faced the Pride in the first round of the quarterfinals of the CAA Championship with renewed passion, and a decidedly different outcome outpacing Hofstra 92-76 to advance to the semi-finals Monday night.

After seeing limited action over the past two weeks due to a knee injury, John Meeks made up for lost time turning in a stellar game for CofC. The graduate transfer forward lead the Cougars with a season best 31 points, making good on 11 of 16 from the floor, adding 4 of 5 from long range to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.

Meeks led four players in double figures for Charleston as freshman Raekwon Horton got his first start for Charleston finishing 5 of 7 including one from long range for 13 points to go along with a team best eight rebounds. Brenden Tucker and Reyne Smith chipped in 12 and 11 points respectively for the Cougars.

This was a contest unlike any other the Cougars saw during the regular season. A layup by Ben Burnham put Charleston up 2-0 with 18:46 still to play as the Cougars went on an offensive surge enjoying a double-digit advantage (19-8) on a 3-pointer by Smith after six minutes elapsed. When Meeks scored on a dunk with 5:15 remaining in the period the Cougars had built a 24-point lead, taking a comfortable 55-33 lead into the locker room at the break.

Hofstra did manage to come alive in the second half. After trailing by double digits for the first 10 minutes a 3-pointer by Jalen Ray found the Pride down 70-63 with just under 11 minutes showing on the clock. Fortunately for the Cougars they made a pit stop to refuel, closing out the contest on a 22-13 run giving them a 16-point margin of victory.

Charleston turned in a record-setting offensive performance in the first half, setting a new tournament mark with 55 points over the first 20 minutes on 62.5% shooting from the floor, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range. The Cougars shot 55% for the game, which matched the 8th-best FG percentage in tournament history. The Cougars also had a commanding 40-26 rebounding edge. Hofstra shot 42.4% from the floor.

Hofstra got 21 points from grad student guard Jalen Ray and 19 points and six assists from CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada. The Pride finish the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 21-11. Sunday’s contest marked the third straight season that the #6 seed has knocked off the #3 seed in the quarterfinals.

With the win the College of Charleston improve to 17-14 overall and advance to take on 2nd seeded UNC Wilmington 8:30pm Monday night in semi-final action. The Seahawks rallied to down fellow North Carolina opponent Elon 75-58 in early round action, holding the Phoenix to just 22 second half points.

CofC lost both times to UNCW during the regular season, falling by eight points at home and six in Wilmington. Will a third meeting against the Seahawks create a different scenario and allow the Charleston to play for the CAA Championship on Tuesday. It will be an awesome contest and fans who didn’t follow the Cougars to Washington DC can witness it on the CBS Sports Network Monday night beginning at 8:30pm.

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