Charleston Cougars Secure Outright Regular Season Title
Byline: College of Charleston Athletics
Charleston, South Carolina – March 1, 2024
The College of Charleston men’s basketball team clinched the outright CAA regular season title with a dominant 96-73 victory over Campbell on Thursday night at TD Arena. The win not only solidified the Cougars’ first outright regular season championship in 21 years but also marked their first conference title since 2003.
Game Recap
The Cougars set the tone early in the game when Frankie Policelli drained a three-pointer just 12 seconds after tip-off. Charleston continued their hot shooting from beyond the arc, hitting four triples in the opening minutes to establish an 18-7 lead. Reyne Smith and Policelli led the charge with consecutive threes during an 8-0 run.
Despite a brief surge from Campbell, where they cut the deficit to three points, Charleston responded emphatically. Smith caught fire from long range, connecting on three consecutive triples to extend the Cougar’s lead to 46-31. The first half ended with Charleston holding a commanding 55-33 advantage after a relentless 21-2 run.
Charleston carried their offensive momentum into the second half, building a massive 72-41 lead. While Campbell tried to mount a comeback with a 9-0 run, Smith’s record-breaking tenth three-pointer of the night sealed the victory for the Cougars, cementing a new school record for most threes in a single game.
Key Performances
Reyne Smith was the standout performer for Charleston, shattering his own program record by draining 10 three-pointers en route to a career-high 32 points. Smith’s sharpshooting prowess also propelled him to fifth place for most single-season three-pointers in program history. Additionally, Smith became the only player in CAA history to hit nine or more threes in multiple games.
Ante Brzovic contributed 14 points and six rebounds, while Ben Burnham and Bryce Butler added 12 points each. James Scott rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Game Notes
Charleston’s 55 first-half points marked their highest scoring output in an opening half this season. The 23-point margin of victory over Campbell was the largest against a Division I opponent this season. The team’s 15 made three-pointers represented the second-best performance from beyond the arc this year.
The Cougars dished out a season-high 26 assists, with Kobe Rodgers leading the way with a career-best seven assists.
Looking Ahead
With a regular season record of 23-7 and a 14-3 mark in conference play, Charleston will close out their regular season campaign against Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at TD Arena. The game, set for 2:00 p.m., will also serve as Senior Day for Bryce Butler and Frankie Policelli.
As the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CAA Championship, the Cougars will aim to carry their momentum from the regular season into the postseason with hopes of securing a conference tournament title.
