Reyne Smith Leads with 23 Pts., CAA Play on Tap
By: Jeff Walker, Sports Writer
In only their third road trip of the 2022-23 season the College of Charleston men’s basketball team made the 90 minute trip to Conway S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina Monday night. The 11-1 Cougars brought with them a 10 game winning streak as well as a 31-9 series edge over the Chanticleers, including the past three matchups between the two teams. Their 41st meeting would be the first since CofC downed CCU 73-71 nearly four years (Dec 21st 2018) ago. Coastal Carolina would enter the contest 6-4 overall, with a stellar 4-1 record at the HTC Center, with Charleston’s lone loss at UNC in the second game of the season. One of the most talked about 10 man rotation teams in the country, CofC have many weapons on their bench, and they utilized them over 40 minutes as they bested the home team 83-69. Reyne Smith lead all scorers as he finished with a game high 23 points, going 6 of 12 from the field including 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. Dalton Bolon and Jaylon Scott chipped in 18 and 11 points respectively as Charleston improve to 12-1 overall, keeping an 11 game win streak intact before they begin CAA play, hosting Hampton at TD Arena on December 29th. Scott grabbed a team best nine boards as well. Smith who’s been up and down offensively of late was delighted to be able to help to contribute. “With my last few games being a little cold it was nice to be consistent tonight.” He added his game plan remains the same. “Trying to be more aggressive. Trusting the work I put in.” Although Coastal kept pace for most of the first period, Charleston lead the contest for over 38 minutes, with a late 14-5 surge allowing for an 11 point (46-35) advantage at the break. It was pretty much all CofC in the second 20 minutes of play as the visitors opened the second half on a 9-2 run. Back to back treys by Smith and Ben Burnham padded the Cougar lead (61-41) with 13:33 remaining in the ball game, with another triple by Bolon making it 66-43 near the midway point. Not looking to lose on their home court the Chanticleers dug deep, getting behind a 26-14 rally to narrow the margin to just nine points (78-69), before the Cougars closed the contest going 5 of 6 from the foul line to secure a 14 point victory. Coastal Carolina had three players finish in double figures with Josh Uduje leading the Chanticleers with 19. Essam Mostafa added 16 points while hauling in a game high 11 rebounds. Antonio Daye Jr. came in off the bench to add 15 for the Chanticleers. With the loss CCU fall to 6-5 overall. The Cougars will take a ten-day holiday hiatus before returning to TD Arena to open CAA play against Hampton on December 29. Action is set for 7pm in Charleston where CofC is undeated at TD Arena this season.
