The Charleston Cougars are just one win away from getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades. Charleston continued to show why it won the CAA in the regular season in a comfortable 10-point lead over William & Mary in the first CAA Tournament semifinal on Monday.
William & Mary hung close for a while, but this was one of the most efficient performances we have seen from the Cougars all season long. Charleston turned the ball over just four times throughout the game and shot 50 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Once again, it was Charleston’s big three doing most of the damage. Grant Riller had another solid outing, going 9-15 from the floor and hitting 50 percent of his threes. He led all Cougars with 25 points and is making a strong run for the MVP of the tournament.
Jarrell Brantley was able to keep Charleston strong on the glass once again too. Brantley picked up his third straight double-double and even had a couple blocks too.
Nathan Knight tried to keep the Tribe alive, but he was not able to turn the tables in spite of a valiant effort. Knight takes over games at times as the lone big man in William & Mary’s four guard lineup, and he did just that against the Cougars. He went 13-18 from the floor and finished with 31 points on the evening.
The victory was a nice bit of revenge for Charleston, who lost to William & Mary in a thriller in it regular season finale. In that game, both teams were lights out from the floor and able to get to the line often. The result was a 114-104 win for the Tribe in overtime.
Charleston will face the winner of the Northeastern vs. UNC Wilmington semifinal on Tuesday, March 6, with the CAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament on the line. The Cougars were tied at the top of the CAA standings with Northeastern at the end of the season, but Charleston won both regular season games. Charleston also knocked off UNC Wilmington in both of their meetings.
