CAA Men’s Basketball Recap – Jan. 29
Dylan Smith
Monmouth 83, N.C. A&T 81 (OT)
Box Score
After 15 ties and 21 lead changes, Corey Miller’s buzzer beater lifted Monmouth (11-11, 5-4 CAA) to a thrilling 83-81 overtime victory over North Carolina A&T (9-11, 2-7 CAA). Trailing 81-80 with four seconds left, the Hawks’ guard, who stepped up following the late scratch of Jack Collins, broke down the sideline before pulling up past midcourt and banking his deep triple off the glass as time expired to secure the two-point win. Jason Rivera-Torres registered a 26-point effort, adding nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in a full 45 minutes of action. Stefanos Spartalis chipped in 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go with six boards. Cornelius Robinson Jr. rounded out those in double figures with 11 points.
The two teams went at it from the jump as the tandem of Zamoku Welcuhe-Ume and Trent Middleton Jr. combined to score 10 of the first 12 points, helping the Aggies secure a four-point edge in the opening four minutes. Neither program saw a lead larger than four for the remainder of the half after trading 10 lead changes over the final 16 minutes. The Aggies closed the frame on an 11-4 run as Dwayne Pierce connected on three straight free throws to take a 37-33 lead into the break.
After a Middleton 3-pointer to open the second half, Monmouth’s Cornelius Robinson Jr. capped off a 9-2 run to deadlock the score at 42 with 16:34 to play. Shortly after, A&T’s Amadou Doumbia capped off an 8-0 stretch with an emphatic putback slam to give the visitors a 50-42 lead with 13:53 remaining. Following an exchange of six-point spurts, the Hawks’ Jason Rivera-Torres helped orchestrate an 11-2 run with a finish at the rim and four made free throws to reclaim a 64-62 lead with 6:30 left. N.C. A&T and Monmouth exchanged blows through the end of regulation and into the overtime period, with neither team seeing a lead larger than one possession. After Pierce sank a pair of free throws with under five seconds to play, Miller sealed the game with his bank shot from distance for the two-point win. Lewis Walker led the Aggies with 24 points, while Middleton chipped in 21 points of his own. Weluche-Ume logged his fifth double-double in the last six games after posting 13 points and 10 boards.
UNCW 82, Towson 73
Box Score
Nolan Hodge scored 23 points and knocked down seven 3-pointers to stave off a late push as UNCW (19-3, 8-1 CAA) picked up an 82-73 road victory over Towson (12-11, 4-6 CAA) on CBS Sports Network. Greedy Williams went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Patrick Wessler logged his league-leading 11
th double-double with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort. Christian May and Noah Ross chipped in 13 and 11 points apiece, respectively. The Seahawks and the Tigers combined for nine total turnovers on national TV.
UNCW started the game draining four of their five makes from distance, including a pair from Hodge, to take a 14-10 lead with 14:05 to play. Dylan Williamson and Tyler Tejada collaborated for a five-point swing that put the Tigers back in front, 15-14. That brief exchange sparked a true back-and-forth affair that saw 18 lead changes over the final 12:44 of the first half. Jahnathan Lamothe gave UNCW a 38-36 edge at the break after sinking a stepback jumper on the baseline with 18 seconds to play in the first half.
After Towson’s Jack Doumbia Jr. helped reclaim the lead with a pair of buckets in close, the Seahawks countered with six unanswered points. Shortly after, Hodge countered the Tigers’ makes with back-to-back treys to bolster a seven-point cushion, 51-44, with 14:29 to play. Towson worked its deficit down to one possession on four different occasions over the next 10 minutes. However, UNCW’s Hodge became the run killer over that span, halting three of the four spurts with either a 3-pointer or a free throw. The Seahawks’ leading scorer knocked down his seventh triple of the game with 2:44 to play, putting the home team up by nine, 74-65. Towson did not go quietly as Jaquan Womack capped off an 8-2 run with a heavily contested corner triple to make it 76-73 with 1:05 remaining in regulation. Williams sealed the game with the team’s final eight points from the charity stripe to capture the nine-point win. Towson’s Tejada notched 16 points, six rebounds and a trio of assists. Doumbia finished with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Williamson recorded 12 points and four helpers.
Elon 79, William & Mary 76
Box Score
Trailing by as many as 12 points, Elon (13-9, 5-4 CAA) surged in the second half to pick up a 79-76 win over William & Mary (14-7, 5-4 CAA). Chandler Cuthrell notched 14 of his 18 points in the final 20 minutes and finished with seven boards. Bryson Cokley and Ned Hull finished with 14 points apiece in the win, seeing the latter knock down four of his five shots from distance in 30 minutes off the bench. Isaac Harrell sank a trio of triples in the win, posting 13 points and five boards. Randall Pettus II rounded out the group in double figures with a 12-point showing.
Ja’Juan Carr helped the Phoenix out to a 6-0 run in the first 90 seconds of the game, scoring the first four points. The Tribe quickly countered with eight unanswered points, including back-to-back treys from Chase Lowe and Cade Haskins to take an 8-6 lead less than three minutes into the contest. After Elon connected on three consecutive 3-pointers from Randall Pettus II and Bryson Cokley, William & Mary turned on the jets. The Tribe rattled off 16 unanswered points on six straight makes from the floor, seeing Haskins, Reese Miller and Kilian Brockhoff combine four triples to close the run for a 29-17 lead at 10:02. The Phoenix battled back to make it a four-point game, 33-29, over the next five minutes after Isaac Harrell sank a corner triple to close out a 12-4 spurt. The Tribe took a 44-37 advantage into the intermission.
Elon’s Ned Hull helped his team slash their deficit down to two, 49-47, with a triple to close out a 7-0 run with 16:38 to play. The Tribe’s Finn Lally quickly responded with a personal five-point spurt over the next 60 seconds to reclaim a 54-47 lead. The Phoenix put the pressure on as Hull hit another 3-pointer before Pettus finished at the rim to make it a one-point game, 62-61, with 9:25 to play. The two teams kept pace until Harrell sank a pair of treys and Ja’Juan Carr finished at the rim to erase the 12-point deficit and give Elon a 71-70 lead with 4:36 left in regulation. Cuthrell scored six of the team’s final eight points to hold on for the three-point win. Ryan Jackson Jr. posted 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in reserve for the Tribe. Haskins and Lowe chipped in 12 points apiece.
Charleston 66, Hofstra 64
Box Score
Jlynn Counter and Christian Reeves combined for 34 points in the second half to help Charleston (14-8, 7-2 CAA) erase an 11-point deficit and secure a 66-64 road victory over Hofstra (13-9, 4-5 CAA). Counter notched 20 of his game-high 22 points in the final 20 minutes before finishing with 10 boards, five assists and two blocks. Cougars’ big man Christian Reeves posted 14 of his 16 points and pulled down seven of his 13 rebounds on the offensive glass in his second straight start. Charleston picked up its third straight win on Thursday.
Biggie Patterson guided Hofstra out to a six-point edge, 15-9, to start the game, sinking a pair of triples and scoring 12 points in the opening 7:31 of the contest. The Pride watched its lead grow to as many as double digits, 24-14, following a Preston Edmead make from behind the arc with 8:06 to play in the first half. Charleston slashed its deficit to as few as three following a 9-2 run sparked by a pair of finishes from Martin Kalu. Hofstra carried a seven-point edge, 30-23, into halftime.
Edmead scored the first eight points for the Pride to open the second half before a Patterson midrange jumper in transition helped the home team reclaim a double-digit advantage, 40-29, at 16:54. The two teams traded blows until Jlynn Counter registered six points on a 9-2 Cougar spurt to bring the visitors to within four, 42-38, with 12:30 to play. After Hofstra claimed a seven-point edge, Charleston went off on an 18-3 run capped off by back-to-back slams from Christian Reeves and Colby Duggan to take an eight-point edge, 58-50, with 3:23 to play. The Cougars were able to stave off Hofstra down the stretch, despite the Pride’s ability to force two late turnovers and had a trio of chances to score in the final seconds. Patterson finished with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds in the setback. Edmead chipped in 18 points, seven boards and seven assists, while turning the ball over just once in 38 minutes of work.
Stony Brook 81, Campbell 69
Box Score
Stony Brook pulled away late to notch its fourth straight victory, an 81-69 win on the road at Campbell. Andrej Shoshkikj rattled off 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a trio 3-pointer and a 6-for-6 showing at the charity stripe. The freshman also added five assists and four boards. Erik Pratt matched Shoshkikj with 19 points and five helpers, chipping in six rebounds in 37 minutes. Richard Goods and Jonah Butler both pulled down eight boards, while rounding out those in double figures with 15 and 10 points apiece, respectively.
The Camels found themselves ahead by seven, 13-6, in the first 4:24 of the game after sinking four of its first five shots, including a pair of trifectas from Tasos Cook. Stony Brook also came out with a hot shooting hand, connecting on 10 of its first 13 attempts and watching Erik Pratt put the Seawolves ahead, 22-19, with a finish in transition at the rim at 11:50. After Campbell utilized a 7-2 spurt to take a one-point lead, Stony Brook caught fire once again to take a double-digit edge, 38-28. The Seawolves rattled off a 15-4 run that was finished off by a Jonah Butler slam with 3:56 to play in the first half. Campbell cut its deficit to as few as five down the stretch, but it was Stony Brook’s Pratt hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the visitors an eight-point edge, 41-36, at the intermission.
Campbell came out flying to start the second half as DJ Smith guided the Camels to a one-possession lead out of the break. The sharpshooter rattled off seven straight points after connecting on a four-point play and sinking another triple to put his team ahead, 49-46, just 3:20 into the frame. Shortly after, the Seawolves’ Richard Good utilized his versatile shooting abilities to help his team gain a seven-point advantage. The big man started the 15-6 run with a pair of treys before closing the stretch with a layup and a slam to take a 65-58 lead with 7:14 to play. The Camels slashed their deficit to as few as four down the stretch, but the Seawolves proved to be too much to hold on for the 12-point victory. Smith finished with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jeremiah Johnson and Cook posted 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Drexel 58, Hampton 51
Box Score
Drexel (11-11, 5-4 CAA) weathered a late surge to capture a 58-51 win over Hampton (10-12, 4-5 CAA), marking the fifth win in their last six games. Josh Reed led all scorers with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Shane Blakeney and Victor Panov chipped in 11 points and four rebounds apiece, seeing the latter swipe four balls in the win. The league’s top defensive team from behind the arc held the Pirates to an 18.8% percent shooting clip from distance (3-16 3FG).
After trading buckets in close, Drexel’s Kevon Vanderhorst scored four straight points to claim an 8-4 edge just 3:40 into the game. The Pirates locked in defensively and flipped the script with a 10-4 run, capturing a 14-12 lead at the midway point of the opening frame. The Dragons retaliated with a pair of Blakeney makes inside the arc and an Eli Beard 3-pointer to secure a five-point cushion, 19-14, with under six minutes to play. Quintin Cooper and Xzavier Long scored the final 11 points for Hampton, including a trifecta by the latter to take a 25-24 lead at the intermission.
After a pair of makes from the Pirates’ Daniel Johnson in the opening 2:43 of the frame, Drexel locked in defensively and never looked back. The Dragons held the Pirates to just one made field goal over the next eight minutes while five different scorers orchestrated a 17-2 run to take a 43-31 advantage with 9:16 to play. Hampton surged over the next seven minutes after Aiden Haskins connected from distance to cap off a 14-2 run that brought the visitors to within two, 51-49, with two minutes to play. It was as close as the Pirates would get as Drexel’s Panov hit the first three of eight made free throws in the final 63 seconds to secure the seven-point win. Hampton’s Long finished with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Johnson joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points.