Defensive Showdown Ahead For Cougars and Midshipmen

Thursday, December 1

TD Arena

7:30 PM

College of Charleston

Navy

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Photo by: Al Samuels

Defensive Showdown Ahead For Cougars and Midshipmen

11/30/2016 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Navy Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (4-3, 0-0 CAA) vs. NAVY (3-4, 0-0 Patriot League)
Game #8
December 1, 2016 • 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TD Arena/John Kresse Court (5,100)
at Charleston, S.C.

Television: MyTV Charleston
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: CofC Leads 1-0
Last Meeting: CofC def. Navy, 72-58, on Nov. 16, 2015 in Annapolis, Md.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/charleston/
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 30-41
Third Year Overall: 30-41
Navy: Ed DeChellis
Sixth Year at Navy: 55-107
21st Year Overall: 274-338

TELEVISION (MyTV Charleston)
Play-By-Play: Jeff McCarragher
Color Analyst: John Kresse

RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
Color Analyst: Danny Johnson

GAME PREVIEW
Two of the nation's top defensive ballclubs will go head-to-head as the College of Charleston men's basketball team (4-3) hosts Navy (3-4) on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The Cougars currently rank No. 36 in the country in scoring defense holding opponents to 62.9 points per game, while the Midshipmen rank No. 89 (66.6 ppg). Both are meeting for only the second time in program history as CofC won last year's inaugural meeting (72-58) in Annapolis, Md. Cameron Johnson, Evan Bailey and Marquise Pointer all scored in double figures against the Midshipmen and combined for 34 of the team's 72 points. In their last outing, the Cougars ended a tough three-game stretch against the likes of UCF, Wake Forest and No. 2-ranked Villanova with a 72-60 victory over USC Upstate on Nov. 27. They have taken care of the ball well this season averaging only 11.7 turnovers per game, but will a challenge with Navy's top defender Hasan Abdullah, who is averaging 2.14 steals per game (No. 59). CofC will have one more home matchup against Southern Conference rival Davidson on Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena, before hunkering down to study for final exams week at The College.

A LOOK AT THE MIDSHIPMEN
The Midshipmen are currently on a two-game win streak with victories over UMBC (78-66) on Nov. 23 and Penn (70-68) on Nov. 26. They opened the season with a close loss to Ohio State in the Veterans Classic. Junior guard Shawn Anderson is the team's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and came off the bench in Navy's game against Penn. The Midshipmen were picked to finish eighth in the preseason Patriot League Poll. They are coming off a 19-14 campaign, which marked the most wins for the program in the last seven years.

GAME PROMOTIONS
College of Charleston Athletics will honor all local military, veterans and first responders in attendance for Hero Day at TD Arena.

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2016-17 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM in Charleston or via a live audio link at: www.charlestonsportsradio.com. Voice of the Cougars Everett German will call the action live from TD Arena alongside color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (14.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 31.0 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (8.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.6 apg, 18.4 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 30.6 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (13.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 30.6 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (5.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.1 apg, 23.1 min)

PROJECTED NAVY STARTERS
#2 Hasan Abdullah, G, 6-0, 195, So. (9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 26.0 min)
#5 Ryan Pearson, G, 6-2, 185, So. (9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 24.6 min)
#14 Bryce Dulin, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 23.7 min)
#1 Tom Lacey, F, 6-7, 235, Jr. (6.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 24.6 min)
#54 Evan Wieck, C, 6-8, 220, Fr. (4.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.4 apg, 18.4 min)

LAST TIME OUT vs. NAVY
Four players scored in double figures as College of Charleston improved to 2-0 on the season with a 72-58 road victory at Navy on Nov. 16, 2015, at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. Canyon Barry led all scorers with 22 points as the Cougars overcame an early 11-0 run by Navy. A three-pointer by freshman reserve Marquise Pointer ended the scoring drought as CofC settled into a rhythm offensively and defensively. Evan Bailey provided a spark off the bench with seven of his 12 points coming in a stretch that gave the Cougars their first lead, 17-16, with 9:20 remaining in the first half. CofC led 31-28 at halftime, but it was short lived as Navy tied it up on a three-point play by Shawn Anderson. The Midshipmen would not score for another five-minute stretch against the Cougar defense as CofC rattled off 11-straight points to gain a comfortable double-digit lead. They led by as many as 15 points on another Bailey made three-pointer, 49-34, with 11:39 left in regulation.

MR. CONSISTENCY
Just as he did during his rookie season, which earned him CAA Rookie of the Year honors, Jarrell Brantley has been constant force for the Cougars in his sophomore campaign. He currently ranks No. 45 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (6.71) and No. 79 in rebounds per game (8.6). Brantley has registered double figures in each of the team's seven contests this season including his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in CofC's victory over USC Upstate on Nov. 27. He is also shooting 44 percent from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 85 percent from the free throw line this year.

MAKING IT COUNT
Two of the Top 100 free throw shooters in the country reside in Lowcountry in Grant Riller (No. 58) and Joe Chealey (No. 93). Riller has made 18-of-20 from the free throw line this season for a 90 percent accuracy, while Chealey has made 33-of-38 (86.8%). As a team, the Cougars are shooting an improved 73.2 percent from the charity stripe with five of their seven games over 70% .

USC UPSTATE RECAP
College of Charleston 72, USC Upstate 60
• Both teams met for the first time in program history. The Cougars take a 1-0 lead in the all-time series with USC Upstate.
• The Cougar defense held USC Upstate to a season-low 60 points. The Spartans were coming off a 108-103 overtime victory at Charlotte on Nov. 22.
• For the fourth time this season, CofC led at halftime (4-0) by its second-largest margin (8) at the half next to 10 versus Boise State in the ESPN Gildan Charleston Classic on Nov. 17 at TD Arena.
• The Cougars improved to 3-0 on the season against in-state schools with wins over The Citadel, Coastal Carolina and USC Upstate.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded his seventh career double-double and second of the season with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds versus USC Upstate. He extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games.
• Nick Harris turned in a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting from the field.
• Joe Chealey registered his fifth game this season in double figures with a team-high 17 points. He also dished out four assists and made one steal.
• Cameron Johnson led Charleston with five of the team's 15 assists in the ballgame.
• The Cougars shot their second-best percentage (42.4%) from the field this season against USC Upstate (28-of-66).
• CofC won the rebounding battle, 39-35, and brought down the second-most rebounds this season versus USC Upstate.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"Navy won their last two games and had a really good win versus Penn. They really shoot the ball well and get out in transition. They like to run the floor. They play a lot of guys. We have to guard the three-point line and get back into transition defense. We will have to be ready to attack a match-up zone very similar or close to USC Upstate. We really have to be sharp on offense and be ready to sprint back in transition D." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on the Navy matchup

"It's not so much about who you are playing or who our next opponent is. We are playing against ourselves right now. We are trying to play 40 minutes of good basketball. Right now, we are playing 28 good minutes. There is always a lapse in the first half and always a lapse in the second half. We are trying to get closer to 40 minutes as we can. We need to stay true to our standards offensively and defensively. We want to be the best version of ourselves." – Coach Grant on the challenge ahead with Navy and Davidson this week

"It's the next challenge for us. Navy is a good team. They are disciplined and similar to (USC) Upstate in some of the things they do. The theme remains constant, we are focusing on us and getting better." – CofC Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey on the next challenge for playing Navy and Davidson in the same week

"We just have to play our game and play defense. Let the offense come to us just as Coach (Earl) Grant preaches to us every week. All of these games help us get ready for conference play. We look at it as a good opportunity for us to get better." – CofC Sophomore Forward Nick Harris on another tough stretch with Navy and Davidson