Who could have seen this coming?
Who would have thought the Concord Men's Basketball team – off a humbling 80-point loss in its last game -- would have a chance against the heavily-favored University of Charleston Thursday night?
“It was quite an experience, no question about it,” CU head coach Steve Cox said of Saturday's 142-62 defeat at West Liberty. “Hopefully it'll only take us about four days to get over it. But there's no need for us to dwell on it. We've got to go ahead and play the next one.”
If the Mountain Lions felt any lingering effects from Saturday, they didn't show it. Executing their game plan impeccably, Concord pulled arguably the most surprising upset of the WVIAC season, leading for nearly all 40 minutes in stunning Charleston 94-70 at the Carter Center.
The victory ended CU's three-game losing streak and upped their record 4-12, 3-8 in the WVIAC. Charleston, which started the night in 5th place in the conference, dropped to 8-7, 7-4.
“We're going to be physically overmatched in one-on-one situations, so we've got to help each other out,” Cox said about going against the Golden Eagles. “We've got to be patient on both ends. We've got to help one another on defense. On offense, we've got to spread it out, set some screens, and eventually we might get some good shots.”
Concord ran the game plan well, making eight of its first 13 shots to open a 21-13 lead nearly 12 minutes into the game. Charleston went cold after that, missing 11 of its next 14 shots and committing five turnovers before the end of the half.
Concord, over that same time, fed off the energetic performance by freshman forward Gentry Shrewsbury to close out the half by hitting nine of its next 20 shots and committing just one turnover.
With Shrewsbury's 14 points topping the ledger, the Mountain Lions took a 45-20 lead into the locker room.
Charleston, averaging 82 points a game, launched its expected rally after the break. Sharp-shooting transfer Bahaadar Russell ignited the Golden Eagles' offense by making four consecutive three-point shots, the last of which pulled UC within 61-46 with 13:34 remaining.
But Concord's only two seniors linked up for an answer shot – Matt Parker's jumper off an assist from Rustin Jessee – which quelled Charleston's charge and started a 17-3 counteroffensive that pushed the Mountain Lions' lead to 77-49 just four-and-a-half minutes later.
Concord would lead by as many as 30 points on three separate occasions before the final buzzer sounded.
Shrewsbury led all scorers with a career-high 27 points, going 9-13 from the field and 9-11 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down four rebounds and grabbed four steals.
Fellow freshman Damien Tunstalle contributed 16 points, 12 in the second half, shooting 6-10 from the field.
Rick Alderman just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, adding four assists and a steal.
Kortea Johnson chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Cory Willard finished with 10 points.
Russell topped Charleston with 19 points, shooting 6-18 from the floor and 5-14 from three-point range. Forward John White recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mountain Lions finished the night 35-66 from the field (.530) and a stellar 19-21 (.905) from the free throw line. Concord totaled 17 assists and 13 turnovers, while Charleston had six assists and 16 turnovers.
Concord hosts Wheeling Jesuit Saturday at 6:00 pm EST. The CU women open the WVIAC doubleheader at 4:00.
Both of Saturday's games will be broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and webcast at www.theriver102.com, beginning at 3:30 pm.
