CofC Escape Chattanooga With 68-66 Victory

Win Erases Two Game Losing Skid, Cougars Host Tulane On Tuesday

By: Jeff Walker, Sports Writer

The College of Charleston men’s basketball team put an end to a two game losing streak (UNC & Oklahoma State) as they erased a 13 point deficit, putting together a 20-0 run in the second half, holding on late to escape Chattanooga with a 68-66 win over their former SoCon foes. The Cougars improve to 4-2 overall after going 1-1 during a two game road trip.

After Chattanooga’s Malachi Smith tied the contest at 66 all with 13 seconds remaining, Charleston took a time out to set up play. John Meeks missed a layup for CofC with three seconds left, only to have Dimitrius Underwood save the day, as he followed up with his own lay up, leaving Chattanooga the length of the court and 1.7 to tie or pull off the win. Underwood would secure the inbound pass providing the visitors the win.

Reyne Smith lead four Cougars in double figures with a team best 18 points, finishing 7 of 10 from the field including 4 of 5 from long range. Silvio DeSousa lead all scorers with a high of 21 points for Chattanooga. DeSousa made 7 of 8 from the field and 7 of 8 from the foul line, as the Mocs pick up their first loss on the year, falling to 5-1 early in the season.

The first 20 minutes of play didn’t look as promising for the Cougars. Charleston shot just 33 percent from the floor, making only 1 of 10 from beyond the arc, as they trailed by nine 34-25 heading into the locker room at the break. The second half started out just as dismal as the Mocs scored five points in the first minute putting CofC down by 14.

Four minutes later and still down by 14 (46-32) the Cougars began their epic run. Chattanooga was held scoreless for over seven minutes as CofC went up 52-46 with just over eight minutes remaining in the contest. A 3-pointer by David Jean-Baptiste would bring the home team within two (59-57) with 4:30 showing on the clock. But a couple of baskets and a key steal by Smith helped seal the deal for Charleston.

Underwood and Meeks pumped in 12 apiece for the Cougars, with Fah’Mir Ali adding 10 points in a winning efffort. Underwood added three boards, three assists and three steals to his stat sheet. Jean-Baptiste went 4 of 8 from long range for the Mocs, finishing with 18 points overall, grabbing a game high seven rebounds. Darius Banks added 11 points for Chattanooga.

The Cougars return home for the first of two matchups with Tulane in a 7-day span. Charleston and the Green Wave tip off at TD Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The matchup will air on FloSports.

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