Citadel's defense clamps down in the second half

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

The Citadel's Austin Dahn drives into lane against Cincinnati Christian on Saturday.

The Citadel got its basketball team back on the winning track as the Bulldogs used a good defensive effort to overpower Cincinnati Christian, 78-55, Saturday at McAlister Field House.

Sophomore guard Cameron Wells shouldered the offensive load in the second half, scoring 16 of his game-high 20 points in the final 20 minutes to help put away a pesky Eagles team.

"One of Cameron's strengths is his size and versatility," said Citadel coach Ed Conroy. "We were able to put him down on the blocks and take advantage."

Cincinnati Christian was within nine points with just over six minutes left, but Wells, a 6-1 sophomore, scored four baskets in a two-minute span to help The Citadel put the game out of reach, taking a 73-52 lead with less than three minutes to go. With subs working the remainder of the game, the Bulldogs were able to maintain that advantage.

The Bulldogs improved to 2-2 while Cincinnati Christian, an NAIA school, dropped to 3-2.

"I was pleased with how we came out defensively in the second half," Conroy said.

The Citadel's defense harried Cincinnati Christian into committing 23 turnovers, 14 of them in the second half.

The Bulldogs held a 44-31 halftime advantage, with senior center Demetrius Nelson and sophomore guard Zach Urbanus shouldering most of the load. Nelson had 12 of his 17 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Urbanus, who came off the bench, had 11 first-half points, four rebounds and four assists. He added three points in the second half and his seven rebounds was high for The Citadel. Urbanus was 3-for-5 from the 3-point line.

"He gave us a great spark," said Conroy, who is still experimenting with various lineups for his young squad. "He played a nice floor game. He was smart and efficient."

Cincinnati Christian trailed by 15 points in the second half, but whittled away and closed within nine points, 61-52, with 6 1/2 minutes left after Luke Mace converted four straight free throws and Natt Harney added a field goal.

That's when Wells went to work and clipped the Eagles' wings.

Harney led Cincinnati Christian with 12 points, while guard Chris Scott added 11.

The Citadel will face Charleston Southern on Tuesday in the North Charleston Coliseum. That's been a tight series the last several contests, and the Bulldogs were fortunate to pull out a victory last season, Conroy said.

The Citadel follows that with a trip to Mexico for the final two games of the Cancun Challenge, facing Central Arkansas Saturday and Grambling the following day. Saturday's win over Cincinnati Christians was the second game in the Cancun Challenge, a tournament which features regional games played in the U.S. before the teams travel to Cancun. The Bulldogs lost at Virginia Commonwealth in the first game of the tournament.

"School is out and we can get the guys away from campus and playing in a tournament atmosphere," said Conroy.

When The Citadel returns from Mexico, it immediately jumps into Southern Conference action with a trip that includes games at UNC Greensboro and Elon.