Charleston edges UNCW in a thriller in front of capacity crowd

WILMINGTON, NC (COURTESY UNCWSPORTS.COM) — Sophomore forward Jarrell Brantley’s layup and free throw with 8.7 seconds remaining lifted Charleston past UNCW, 67-66, in a see-saw battle of the Colonial Athletic Association’s top two clubs on Thursday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Cougars (18-7, 9-2) snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Seahawks and climbed into a tie for first place atop the CAA standings. UNCW (20-4, 9-2) dropped its second straight contest and fell in the opening leg of a three-game homestand.

In a highly-anticipated matchup that featured 13 ties and 15 lead changes, CofC gained a split of the regular season series after losing, 65-59, to UNCW back on Jan. 19 at TD Arena.

“I’m proud of our guys,” said Kevin Keatts, UNCW’s third-year coach. “We lost to a very good basketball team and they made a few more plays than us. We’re all disappointed because we’re competitors. I want our guys to have a short-term memory and come back ready to play on Saturday.”

Freshman guard Grant Riller of CofC led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-14 from the floor. Sophomore forward Nick Harris matched his career high with 16 points and junior guard Joe Chealey closed with 15 for the Cougars, who shot 46.9 percent on the night.

Sophomore guard C.J. Bryce paced the Seahawks with 21 points, three rebounds and five assists, and sophomore forward Devontae Cacok added 17 points and nine rebounds.

Ingram set the stage for a thrilling finish when the slippery guard from Chapel Hill canned a stepback jumper on the left wing with 24 seconds on the clock. The Cougars then worked the ball into Brantley and CofC’s second leading scorer drove the lane for the go-ahead layup and converted the ensuing free throw with 8.7 ticks left.

Ingram then attempted a long trey on the next possession and missed the mark, but Chris Flemmings rebounded the ball and was fouled on the play. The Preseason CAA Player-of-the-Year made his first free throw attempt, but the second try bounced softly off the rim and time expired.

After carrying a 30-29 edge into the break, the Seahawks jumped ahead, 38-33, on a triple by Ingram, until the Cougars reeled off a 9-2 mini-run. Back-to-back buckets by Harris, including a short jumper over Seahawk reserve Marcus Bryan with 13:18 remaining, gave the Cougars the upper hand, 42-40.

After Harris tied the game at 55-all with his fifth dunk of the game with 4:53 left, the lead switched hands eight times in the final 4:11 until the Cougars took the lead with 2:04 showing when Cameron Johnson was fouled shooting a triple and made two of the free throws to give the Cougars a 64-63 edge.

Neither team capitalized on chances over the next two possessions when Ingram drained his jumper on the left side and Brantley answered with his heroics on the decisive three-point play.

In the first half, Chealey picked up two quick fouls in the first 1:56 of the contest, but the Cougars stayed within striking distance behind the play of Riller, who finished the opening 20 minutes with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

UNCW scored the first six points of the contest, however, the Cougars climbed within 12-11 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Riller at 14:57.

But the Cougars went cold, missing nine consecutive shots over a 6:33 stretch, and UNCW capitalized. A monster slam by Cacok put UNCW ahead, 18-13, with 7:19 left in the half and Cacok converted a baby hook at the 5:57 mark to keep the Seahawks in front, 22-17.

A three-ball by Bryce, who closed out the first period with 13 points, gave the Seahawks a 30-28 edge before Johnson’s free throw with 29.6 seconds on the clock brought the Cougars within one point, 30-29, at intermission.

The Cougars outscored the Seahawks by seven points at the free throw line, making 19-of-25 charity tosses, compared to 12-of-23 for the home team.

The Seahawks play the second leg of a three-game homestand on Saturday when Delaware (9-15, 2-9) visits the Port City for the annual Homecoming Game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: The Seahawks still lead the 22-game series by a 12-11 edge…UNCW leads the series in Trask Coliseum, 6-5….UNCW’s Devontae Cacok and CofC’s Jarrell Brantley were each assessed a technical foul at 13:48…Denzel Ingram and C.J. Bryce each had five assists for the Seahawks…The Cougars had just six assists on 23 baskets…UNCW shot 51.0 percent on the night, hitting 25-of-49 field goals…The Seahawks built a 32-29 advantage on the glass…The two teams combined for 6-of-28 from deep…Reserve forward Chuck Ogbodo contributed five points and three rebounds off the bench…The loss marked the first time since early January of last season that the Seahawks have dropped two in a row…The game was a sellout at Trask Coliseum, drawing a capacity 5,200 fans for the third time this season.