Baltimore, MD – Today was a jam packed day of Colonial Athletic Association basketball in Baltimore. The games were all hard fought and several came down to the wire.
The first game of the day featured the No. 1 seed, Hofstra verses the No. 9 seed Drexel. Drexel played Friday and upset No. 8 seed Elon 57-56 after Elon missed a possible lat-second game-winning shot. This game had a different outcome. Hofstra won easily 80-67. Led by senior 6-3 point guard Juan’ya Green, the Pride controlled the game throughout. Green who is an NBA draft prospect showed his versatility on offense and led the game with 22 points. He also chipped in six rebounds and four assists, while hitting three three pointers. Another factor for the Pride was 6-9, 260-pound sophomore power forward Rokas Gustys from Lithuania. Gustys, the reigning NetScouts Basketball International Player of the Week, showed his ability to finish on the blocks as well as rebound. He finished with 16 points, eleven rebounds and two blocks in just 20 minutes. For Drexel 6-7 junior power forward Rodney Williams led the way with 20 points and eleven rebounds. Next up for Hofstra is William & Mary in the semi-finals Sunday at 1 p.m.
Game two featured No. 4 seed James Madison against No.5 seed William & Mary. After JMU built an early lead, William & Mary put the foot on the petal and stayed in front the rest of the way. Led by 6-7 junior shooting guard Omar Prewitt, the Tribe rode their star to a 79-64 win. Prewitt showed his ability to hit from the outside as well as drive the lane and finish using his length. Prewitt is a lengthy guard that shows a knack for making tough plays look easy. He finished with 25 points, four rebounds and two made threes. JMU was led by senior 6-3 combo guard Ron Curry. Curry struggled shooting the ball on the day (5-of-19) but he kept plugging away. Curry is a tough player to keep out of the lane and uses his strength well when penetrating. He finished with 20 points, eleven rebounds and three assists. Now William & Mary will have to see if they can pull an upset against top seeded Hofstra Sunday.
The third game of the day was a tightly contested affair between No. 2 seed UNC Wilmington and No. 7 seed College of Charleston. Charleston won the night before against Delaware 67-63 as Delaware’s final shot by Kory Holden was rejected at the rim. Charleston came out on fire against Wilmington in the first half hitting 7-of-9 from deep and holding a 40-27 lead over the two seed. The lead however did not last long in the second half as Charleston went cold. 6-5 Chris Flemmings, a junior shooting guard, hit three quick three’s to pull the deficit closer. Flemmings has a good range and is a very athletic guard that could translate at some level professionally. Led by Flemmings and 6-7 sophomore power forward Marcus Bryan , Wilmington won 66-64 as Jarrell Brantley’s last-second off balance floater to tie was too strong. Flemmings finished with 13 points while Bryan finished with 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Brantley, a 6’7, 245-pound freshman point forward, showed skills of a guard and had a wide array of scoring moves. He is a player to watch for the future because he is so versatile. Brantley finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore 6-4 shooting guard Cameron Johnson was steadyon offense for the Cougars all night. Johnson used his craftiness to score in the lane and also spotted up to connect on 3 three pointers. Johnson who is not the most explosive athlete used his smarts and high IQ to finish with 21 points on the night. With the win UNC Wilmington sets up a semifinal match-up with sixth seed Northeastern Sunday at 3:30p.m.
The last game of the night was No. 3 seed Towson vs. No. 6 seed Northeastern. After trailing by three at half 32-29, Northeastern dominated the second and won by a final of 71-60. Led by both of its star seniors 6-6 David Walker and 6-8 Quincy Ford the Huskies shot controlled the flow of the game and made Towson very uncomfortable in their half court sets. Ford, a very mobile small forward, showed his smooth shooting stroke and ability to use his body when driving the lane. Ford has a lot of ball skills for a big man and will be on some NBA radars after finishing this season. He finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Huskies leading scorer David Walker matched his season average of 18 points, while also dishing out six assists and gathering three rebounds. Walker is a lengthy combo guard who has a great feel for the game. He always plays within himself and takes what the defense gives him. He sees the whole floor and delivers the ball on time for scoring opportunities. He is also a three-point specialist at 41%.
For Towson their offensive inconsistency reared its ugly head again. Many times this season Towson has struggled to put the ball in the basket. There have also been games where Towson could score at will. Tonight was a bad time to have one of these games, especially in their conference tournament in their backyard. Junior, 6-6, 240-pound power forward William Adala Moto was one of two bright spots on the night for Towson. Adala Moto showed how tough he is in the paint. He received several passes around the foul line and went straight to the bucket resulting in several lay-ins. Adala Moto can score with contact and is relentless on the offensive glass. He finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The other bright spot was 6-5 sophomore shooting guard Mike Morsell. Morsell has a smooth stroke from deep and hit four three pointers on the night. He has a big body and good length and uses it well when he stays under control. Morsell finished with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists.
If the past two days are any indication of what is to come in the final two days of the tournament than anything is possible. There has been several upsets and there could have been a few more. One thing that hasn’t happened yet is a game winner or a buzzer beater. Will that change? I think there is a good chance.
This article was written by Greg Walter, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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