By CHARLIE PARENT
Charleston defended their CAA title Tuesday in a thrilling 82-79 overtime win over Cinderella Stony Brook to clinch their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The matchup was chippy throughout, with bodies on the floor and technical fouls handed out early. The tension settled in the second half, but the teams dueled on the defensive end into overtime. Charleston broke open a 5-0 gap to start the extra period and ultimately held the lead until the buzzer.
The Cougars balanced offensive approach was key again, as all five starters scored in double-figures. Second-team All-CAA guard Reyne Smith scored a team-high 22 points.
Head coach Pat Kelsey has revitalized the Cougars in just three seasons at the helm. Charleston has won back-to-back CAA regular seasons and CAA Tournaments and rides a 12-game winning streak going into March Madness. The streak is good for the second-longest in the country.
“This team is special,” he said postgame. “Charleston is special. This is for our fanbase, our school, our student body, our city.”
Stony Brook came into the championship as one of the early stories of March. The Seawolves upset No. 2 Drexel and No. 3 Hofstra en route to the title game.
Queens native Tyler Stephenson-Moore put on a show, scoring a game-high 26 points that kept Stony Brook in the game.
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