Charleston wins in OT for back-to-back CAA titles

Mar 12, 2024, 10:32 PM ET

WASHINGTON– Reyne Smith scored eight of his 23 points in overtime and ended up with 6 3-pointers, and top-seeded Charleston beat No. 7 seed Stony Brook 82-79 on Tuesday night to claim the Coastal Athletic Association tournament and an NCAA bid for a second straight season.Smith poked it away from Tyler Stephenson-Moore near the 3-point arc and sank a 3-pointer at the other end to extend Charleston’s result in 78-73 midway through overtime. However that was Charleston’s final field goal of the game, and Ante Brzovic just made one complimentary toss in 2 trips to the line to keep Stony Brook in it.After Aaron Clarke made a fast 3-pointer for Stony Brook with 3.9 seconds left, Smith sank 1 of 2 complimentary throws for a three-point lead. Dean Noll grabbed the protective rebound and released a three-quarter-length shot that nearly banked in at the buzzer.Charleston(27-7)became the first string to win back-to-back CAA competition

champions considering that UNC Wilmington in 2016 and 2017. Ben Burnham included 14 points, Brzovic and Frankie Policelli had 12 each and Kobe

Rodgers 10 for Charleston.Stephenson-Moore, who scored 23 points in the semifinals, ended up with 26 points and seven 3-pointers for

Stony Brook(20-15). Clarke, Stony Brook’s second-leading scorer at 14 points per game, did not score up until the 5:14 mark of the 2nd half and ended up with 11. Charleston opened the 2nd half on a 14-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by CJ Fulton, for a 49-42 lead.

The Cougars led 73-64 with 5:01 remaining in the 2nd half but did not score again until overtime.Stony Brook made five-straight shots to connect it at 73-all with 2:12 left in guideline on Clarke’s layup. The Seawolves had 2 possibilities in the

last 30 seconds, following an offensive rebound, but Clarke had it taken by Smith and Charleston’s chance at the buzzer didn’t come close as time expired.Stony Brook was appearing in its sixth conference tournament final at the Department I level, and its very first given that winning the America East Championship in 2016 behind 43 points from Jameel Warney.The Seawolves were the first No. 7 seed to advance to the CAA tournament last because East Carolina in 1993.