CofC Fall on the Road to UNCW 85-79

Charleston’s 3 Game Win Streak Snapped, Meeks Leads Cougs With 21 Pts.

By: Jeff Walker, Sportswriter

Down by as many as 14 points in the second half the College of Charleston men’s basketball team rallied, trailing by one possession on two separate occasions, before falling on the road to UNC Wilmington 85-79 Saturday night. The loss puts an end to a three-game win streak for CofC who fall to 5-6 in the CAA and 13-10 overall.

UNCW who is one of the stronger teams in the Colonial Athletic Association had four players finish in double figures with Jaylen Sims leading all scorers. Sims was pretty much unstoppable, hitting 8 of 15 from the field, adding 3 of 5 from long range and 8 of 9 from the line for a game high 27 points. James Baker shot lights out (9 of 11) adding a 3-pointer for 23 points.

A 12-1 rum by the Cougars late in the second period capped off by a pair of free throws by John Meeks cut the margin to 67-64 in favor of UNCW. Meeks would lead Charleston in scoring, finishing with 21 points on the night, hauling in a game best nine rebounds. Brenden Tucker and Raekwon Horton added 13 and 11 points off the Cougar bench.

For the first 13 minutes of play it was a one or two possession game. The Cougars biggest lead was five points, up 22-17 when Dimitrius Underwood hit one of two from the foul line. Three minutes later the ball game was tied at 27 apiece. The Seahawks would close out the opening period on a 20-11 rum to take a nine-point (47-38) advantage into the locker room.

The lead would quickly go to double digits right out of the gate in the second period. The Cougar rally was swift and determined but came up short. Tucker’s 3-pointer with 4:21 left to play made it 74-42 in favor of UNCW. The Seahawks would stretch the lead to eight points twice in the closing minutes before settling on a six-point win.

Although CofC won the battle on the backboards (38-25) including a 14-2 margin on offensive rebounds, the home team were consistent throughout from the field. The Cougars turned the ball over 17 times, to just 10 for UNCW.

Foul trouble is what really hurt CofC. The Seahawks made 25 of 35 from the charity stripe, with CofC adding just 12 of 19 from the line. Charleston did manage to knock down 13 of 27 from beyond the arc, which helped keep them with striking distance in the contest.

The Seahawks had help from Shykeim Phillips and Jaylen Fornes who chipped in 14 and 10 points respectively. With the wing UNCW improve to 17-7 overall and an impressive 11-2 mark in the league.

The Cougars have a quick turnaround. Charleston return home for a 3-game homestand at TD Arena beginning Monday night vs. Drexel. Tip-off vs. the Dragons is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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