CHARLESTON, S.C. -- College of Charleston started each half with a big run, though the Old Dominion Monarchs were able to answer the first one but not the second one on Tuesday night in a non-conference men's basketball matchup.
Ryan Larson scored 17 points to lead three in double figures as the homestanding Cougars took a 75-60 win over Old Dominion in front of 3,935 at TD Arena.
"Charleston is a great team that makes you guard them hard on every possession, sometimes with multiple actions per possession and they got going making space to shoot. We had to rely too much on individual effort tonight to compete," said ODU head coach Jeff Jones.
College of Charleston (7-1) opened the game on a 12-0 run to lead following a Dalton Bolon 3-pointer at the 16:52 mark. ODU (4-4) got on the board on a Faizon Fields jumper with 15:49 left to trail 12-2. The Monarchs were methodical in clawing back into the game as a Ben Stanley jumper cut the deficit in half at 16-11 with 11:46 left.
Mekhi Long hit a pair of free throws with 7:34 left as ODU trailed 20-17. A Ryan Larson step-back 3-pointer doubled the margin back to six at 23-17 just 12 seconds later, but ODU scored the next four as Chaunce Jenkins hit a jumper in the paint and Long drained a pair of free throws with 6:07 left to get to within a bucket at 23-21.
A Ben Burnham jumper in the paint gave the hosts a 25-21 lead with 5:49 on the clock, but the Monarchs battled back and after a Stanley layup and a Scott-Grayson jumper with 4:11 remaining ODU leveled the game at 25-all.
Each team traded buckets before Ante Brzovic hit one free throw for a 28-27 lead at the 3:14 mark. Jenkins responded with the next four points to give ODU its largest lead of the game at 31-28 on a driving layup with 2:24 left.
The hosts closed the half with the last four points, as a Pat Robinson, III layup just beat the halftime horn giving the Cougars a 32-31 advantage.
In the second half, the hosts used a 17-2 start to the half and raced to a 49-33 lead on a Larson 3-pointer with 14:16 left.
On the game, ODU was 23-of-52 from the floor (44.2%), while hitting 5-of-11 from 3-point range (45.5%) at 9-of-10 from the line (90%). Jenkins was the leading scorer with 17 points and four assists, while Tyreek Scott-Grayson added 13 points. Long had nine points, four rebounds and two steals.
College of Charleston was 26-of-54 from the floor (48.1%), hit 10-of-25 3-pointers (40%) and 13-of-16 from the foul line (81.3%). Joining Larson in double figures were Bolon with 14 and Reyne Smith with 12.
NOTES
First game ODU was outrebounded as the Cougars held a 32-27 advantage.
Fields set season highs in rebounds (six) and blocked shots (four)
ODU closed the game hitting six of last eight field goals
Men's Basketball Falls 75-60 At College of Charleston
