East Carolina University
5-4
College of Charleston
6-2
Pirates Rally Comes Up Short At College of Charleston
December 07, 2015 | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The East Carolina men's basketball team struggled from the field in the first half and at the free throw line all night and it cost the Pirates a victory, as a late rally in the closing minutes fell short in a 77-73 loss to the College of Charleston at TD Arena Monday night.
East Carolina (5-4) fell behind 9-1 in the opening four minutes and spent the remainder of the game playing catch-up. The Pirates got within four at 21-17, but the Cougars (6-2) rolled off 11 unanswered to go up by 15 and eventually took a 16-point lead, 37-21, into the halftime locker room.
The deficit remained in double digits, 71-61, with 2:43 to go when the Pirates started their rally. Caleb White scored five consecutive points and B.J. Tyson nailed a 3-pointer to cut their deficit to 71-69 with 1:05 to play.
CofC guard Payton Hulsey made just one of two free throws with 52 seconds left giving ECU the chance to tie, but White's 3-point attempt was off the mark and Cameron Johnson secured the rebound for the Cougars. He then made one of two foul shots.
Tyson streaked to the other end of the floor to make it 73-71 before the Pirates were forced to foul.
Canyon Barry made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 14 seconds to give the Cougars' their fourth straight win and end the Pirates three-game winning streak.
East Carolina shot 57.1 percent from the field after halftime and posted its highest scoring half of the season with 52 points, but couldn't overcome its slow start and lowest-scoring opening half of the year. It finished the night shooting 46.0 percent from the floor, which was slightly higher than its free throw percentage.
Entering the game, the Pirates were shooting 74.9 percent from the free throw line, but tonight missed 12 foul shots and finished 10 of 22 (.455) from the charity stripe.
Conversely, CofC made the most of its opportunities at the free throw line, sinking 22 of 29 (.759) led by Barry's near perfect 13 of 14 performance at the stripe.
Barry, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry, scored a game-high 27 points to lead three Cougars in double figures. Jarrell Brantley added 14 points and Johnson had 11.
ECU freshman Kentrell Barkley posted his first double-double, finishing with a career-high 22 points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Tyson scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, while White scored all 12 of his points after intermission.
The Pirates will take the next five days off for final exams before returning to the court Sunday, Dec. 13, against North Carolina A&T inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum beginning at 2 p.m.
