Derek Kellogg's team has worn down opponent at a thrilling pace this season, Saturday they were the team that ran out of juice. The College of Charleston (5-1) outscored UMass by 20 in the second half en route to an 85-61 victory and fifth place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.
The Minutemen (5-2) shot just 28 percent in the second half including missing all 12 of their 3-point attempts as they lost their second game in three days after starting the season 4-0.
Cady Lalanne finished with a team-high 12 points for the Minutemen and senior center Sean Carter added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Star point guard Chaz Williams had his worst game thus far in a UMass uniform with eight points and no assists. The sophomore point guard hit just 2-of-9 shots and turned the ball over three times after picking up two fouls within the first five minutes of the first half.
Antwaine Wiggins and Anthony Stitt led the Cougars attack with 23 points apiece and combined to hit eight of the team's 12 3-pointers. Stitt added eight of the team's 17 assists as College of Charleston shot just over 50 percent for the game.
UMass kept it close through the first half, keeping the game within seven, and making some big plays around the basket. At the break, the Cougars led 38-34 but with Williams struggling and the Minutemen unable to hit shots from behind the arc, the game was already out of reach. The College of Charleston went on a 9-0 run halfway through the break behind two threes and would extend their lead to as many as 26.
The Minutemen were inept from behind the arc for the second time in three games hitting just 14 percent of their attempts. In their two losses in the Bahamas, UMass hit just 6-of-51 attempts (11 percent) 3-point attempts.
The Minutemen will be action Thursday in Amherst when they take on Towson University at 7 p.m.