#CAAHoops MBB Recap – Feb. 23 – Charleston Battles Back for Nation-Leading 27th Win
Miles McQuiggan
RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 23, 2023) – Charleston powered its way back from a double-digit deficit to win its 27
th game of the year – the most in the regular season in CAA Men’s Basketball history.
Elsewhere around the league, stellar second half performances secured important wins Thursday night heading into a final day of the regular season in which all 12 teams in action will still decide their seeding for the 2023 Jersey Mike's CAA Men's Basketball Championship that begins March 3 in Washington, D.C. |
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Delaware 73, North Carolina A&T 71
Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half to lead Delaware back from a double-digit second half deficit. Delaware (15-15, 7-10) trailed by 11 with 17:24 to play before battling back to take the lead on three Nelson free throws with 9:58 remaining. Nelson scored Delaware’s final eight points and 16 of the team’s last 21. The game featured 16 lead changes including four in the final 78 seconds.
Marcus Watson led North Carolina A&T (12-18, 7-10) with 21 points, while
Duncan Powell added 19. Both teams limited themselves in the turnover department with Delaware committing seven and A&T nine.
Hampton 86, Monmouth 81
Hampton shot 49% overall and 42% from three to earn the Pirates in a pivotal win in the CAA standings. Hampton (8-22, 5-12) led by 20 points with 8:35 to go before a 20-2 run got Monmouth (6-24, 5-12) back within two at 78-76 with 2:06 to play.
Deuce Dean would deliver for the Pirates with eight points in the final 97 seconds as part of an 18-point, eight-assist night.
Kyrese Mullen added a double-double for Hampton with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Myles Foster (21) and
Klemen Vuga (20) led all scorers with their efforts for Monmouth.
Charleston 83, Towson 75
Charleston erupted with an 20-4 run in the second half to battle back and earn a season sweep of Towson. Charleston (27-3, 15-2) trailed for 23 minutes of the contest in large part due to a career-high 34-point night from
Nicolas Timberlake, who was 11-of-17 overall and 6-of-11 from three for Towson (19-11, 11-6). Towson led by 10 at 54-44 with 13:33 to play before Charleston started chipping away and eventually rattled off runs of 11-0 and eventually 20-4 to take the lead for good on four straight points from
Pat Robinson III with five minutes remaining. Six Charleston players were in double figures in the Cougars’ nation-leading 27
th win of the year. The 27 victories are the most in CAA history in the regular season, eclipsing the mark of 26 achieved by UNCW in 2016-17 before the Seahawks went on to win the conference title.
UNCW 76, Stony Brook 69
Jamarii Thomas scored 16 of his career-best 26 points in the second half to steer UNCW past Stony Brook. The teams went back and forth throughout the first half before a 7-2 stretch in the final two minutes before halftime gave UNCW (22-8, 12-5) a 41-36 lead at the break. Stony Brook (10-20, 6-11) would get within one possession on a pair of occasions in the second half, but the Seahawks would not relinquish the lead. A career day from
Keenan Fitzmorris of 25 points led Stony Brook, while
Toby Onyekonwu added a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
William & Mary 73, Elon 60
William & Mary built a double-digit lead in the first half and was in front for the final 33 minutes of a key CAA victory. William & Mary (11-19, 6-11) earned a season split with the Phoenix thanks to a balanced attack led by 17 points from
Ben Wight and 15 from
Miguel Ayesa as two of four Tribe players in double figures. W&M held Elon (8-22, 6-11) to 4-of-21 from three while Ayesa made five of his own to tally his 15 points.
Max Mackinnon led Elon with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Drexel 75, Northeastern 48
Drexel clamped down defensively to hold Northeastern to 32% shooting and clinch the No. 5 seed in the CAA Championship for the Dragons. Drexel (16-14, 10-8) received another a solid effort in the emergence of
Yame Butler, who scored a game-high 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while the Dragons as a team knocked down 56% of shots at their end of the court.
Luke House added 14 points for Drexel and
Mate Okros chipped in with 10.
Jahmyl Telfort scored a team-high 18 points for Northeastern (10-18, 6-11).
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