#CAAHoops MBB Recap – Dec. 31 – Charleston, Drexel, UNCW Improve to 2-0 in League Play
Miles McQuiggan
RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 31, 2022) – Charleston, Drexel, and UNCW improved to 2-0 in CAA men’s basketball action, while Stony Brook won its conference debut and Delaware and North Carolina A&T evened their league ledgers at 1-1 in New Year’s Eve matinees.
RV/RV Charleston 76, Towson 74 (OT)
A game of runs saw Charleston find the upper hand with an 11-0 start before Towson battled back to force overtime, but the Cougars outlasted the Tigers in the extra session. Charleston led by 10 with nine minutes remaining in regulation but Towson responded and took the lead with 32 seconds remaining on a
Charles Thompson tip-in.
Reyne Smith responded with a go-ahead three for the Cougars and Thompson forced overtime with one of two at the line. Smith knocked down a three to open OT and the Cougars would not trail the rest of the way. Charleston, which improves to 14-1 and 2-0 in the CAA with its 13
th-straight win, was led by 22 points and 12 rebounds from
Ante Brzovic. Thompson had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for Towson.
Stony Brook 65, Northeastern 61
A 17-5 first half run gave Stony Brook a double-digit advantage in the first half and the Seawolves relied on a quartet of scorers to win its CAA debut.
Frankie Policelli led Stony Brook with 17 points and was joined by
Keenan Fitzmorris (16),
Tanahj Pettway (15), and
Tyler Stephenson-Moore (14) in double figures. Policelli, the CAA’s leading rebounder, grabbed eight boards and Stony Brook led by as many as 13 points in the second half and for nearly 31 minutes of the contest.
Jahmyl Telfort led Northeastern with 16 points.
North Carolina A&T 81, Hofstra 79
Tyrese Eliiott’s tip-in at the buzzer helped North Carolina A&T close out the game on a 6-0 run and earn its first victory in conference play as a CAA member. The Aggies trailed by 13 with 9:57 to play but battled back to take its first lead since two minutes into the contest as the final horn sounded.
Duncan Powell contributed a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for North Carolina A&T, while
Demetric Horton led all scorers with 21 points.
Tyler Thomas (19 points) and
Aaron Estrada (18) led the way for Hofstra.
Delaware 57, Elon 52
Delaware responded to a pair of Elon runs to begin in each half with a 15-0 stretch in the first half and 11-0 midway through the second as the Blue Hens evened their CAA mark at 1-1.
Jameer Nelson Jr. led four Blue Hens in double figures with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while
Christian Ray added 14 and
Jyáre Davis (12) and
LJ Owens (10) joined them to contribute 54 of Delaware’s 57 points from the starting lineup.
Zac Ervin led all scorers with 18 points for Elon and
Sean Halloran added 16 points and eight rebounds.
Drexel 66, William & Mary 56
Drexel held William & Mary scoreless for a stretch of nearly five minutes in the second half to build a nine-point advantage and hold on down the stretch to improve to 2-0 in the CAA.
Amari Williams led the way for Drexel with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks. The Dragons overcame a 1-for-13 showing from three by outrebounding the Tribe 41-27 in the contest.
Gabe Dorsey led William & Mary with 13 points in the Tribe’s CAA opener.
UNCW 82, Hampton 65
A 23-6 start for UNCW proved insurmountable for the Pirates as the Seahawks shot 59% on the way to their 11
th-straight victory. Hampton was in striking distance midway through the second half, but UNCW responded with an 11-3 stretch and eventually pushed its advantage to 21.
Jamarii Thomas led UNCW with 17 points and helped the hosts to 8-of-16 (50%) from three.
Deuce Dean and
Marquis Godwin led Hampton with 16 points each, while Dean dished out nine assists. UNCW remains undefeated against mid-major opponents dating back to last season’s CBI run.
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