Mar 17, 2024 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – It wasn’t the shot that Charleston men’s basketball coach Dwaine Osborne wanted his team to take, and the player who took it probably wasn’t his first choice. And the shot wasn’t the first option in the play that was called.

But the ball went in the basket and that’s all that mattered.

Guard Dwaine Jones made a contested 21-foot jump shot, from between the top of the key and right wing, with 3.4 seconds remaining to give Charleston an unlikely 68-67 come-from-behind win over California Saturday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament’s Atlantic Regional.

California point guard Donald Whitehead Jr. got off a desperation three-pointer from near the center circle as time expired but it fell short.

Charleston trailed 67-65 and called a timeout with 27 seconds remaining. Everybody in the Convocation Center expected the Golden Eagles to get the basketball to Eddie Colbert III, who had made 12 of 16 shots, scored a game-high 33 points and fueled Charleston’s second-half comeback.

“We’ve tried not to build a program that relies on one of two guys,” Osborne explained. “We called a play that has four options. They took the away the first option. … We were down to the last one.”

And the ball was given to Jones at the top of the key.

“I was able to look at the clock and saw there was seven seconds left and four on the shot clock. I said, ‘I’m taking this one,'” Jones recalled.

He dribbled right and was met by Cal sophomore forward Bryce Lucas, the Defensive Player of the Year in the PSAC’s West Division. Jones, a lefthander, stopped, stepped back and fired a high-arching shot that hit nothing but net, giving Charleston its first lead since 26-25.

“I’ve made six or seven game-winning shots,” Jones said. “I made one to get to the state championship in high school. Nothing new.”

The win sends Charleston (29-4), the Mountain East Conference champion, to the regional final Tuesday at Gannon. California’s remarkable season ends with a 28-5 record and questions about how an 11-point second-half lead disappeared.

The Vulcans used a sizzling opening two minutes of the second half to forge a 42-31 lead. They led 60-50 with eight minutes to play and 67-63 with less than a minute remaining.

“Tough loss,” said California coach Danny Sancomb. “Our guys played really hard. We played great defense and made great plays on offense. I’m disappointed for our seniors and our team. We gave everything we had. It’s a tough way to go out.”

Cal led 31-29 at halftime and then took firm control of the game by using a 13-2 run early in the second half to open a 44-33 advantage. The run was sparked by Lucas and sophomore swingman K.J. McClurg. Lucas put Cal ahead by making two free throws, Jermaine Hall followed with a three-pointer and McClurg drove for a basket, was fouled and converted the three-point play.

After a Charleston basket, Lucas took a lob on a pick and roll and slammed home a basket that gave Cal a 44-33 lead.

McClurg, the regional player of the year, attempted only five shots in the first half but he was more aggressive in the second, when he scored 17 of his team-high 22 points. Lucas finished with 17 points.

Cal fought off every Charleston charge until the closing minutes.

“They led by 10 or 11, then we’d cut it to three or four and they’d push it back up to 10 or 11,” Osborne said. “The biggest issue was our first four minutes of the second half. We started poorly, our body language stunk. Figuring out how to get out of that was important.”

Charleston got back in the game by giving the basketball to Colbert, who was 8-for-11 and scored 23 points in the second half. He scored 13 straight Charleston points down the stretch, cutting Cal’s lead to 64-61.

Hall made one of two free throws before Jones drove for a basket that made it 65-63 with 1:39 left. Hall, who had 13 points, answered with a basket that put Cal back up by four. Charleston’s DeAirius Barker made two free throws with 58 seconds to play that made it 67-65.

On the ensuing possession, Cal let the shot clock drain to 10 seconds before starting a play and Zyan Collins had to hurry and missed a shot that Charleston rebounded, setting up Jones’ game-winning gut punch.

“We defended like we did the whole game,” Sancomb said of the final possession. “They only had 65 points. We were locked in defensively. Jones made a contested shot. He made a helluva play.

“Still in shock how it ended, but we will be back.”