CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Three players scored in double figures as College of Charleston cruised to a 77-59 road victory at former Southern Conference foe Western Carolina on Thursday night at the Ramsey Center.
 
The Cougars (9-4) closed out non-conference play with their best shooting percentages of the season from the field (48.9%) and long range (50.0%). They dropped seven three-pointers in the first half alone to take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
 
Joe Chealey registered a game-high 18 points and shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc as did Jarrell Brantley, who turned in 17 points. Grant Riller added 10 points as CofC tallied the second-most points this season in a single game behind 81 points against The Citadel in the season opener on Nov. 11.
 
The Catamounts (4-8) were led by Adam Sledd's double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. WCU came within seven points on a jumper by Haboubacar Mutombo, 62-55, with 6:38 left to go in regulation, but the Cougars pushed the lead back in double digits for the remainder of the half.
 
CofC, winners of the last six of seven games, will enjoy a few days off during the winter break before traveling for its Colonial Athletic Association opener on New Year's Eve at Elon on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. (ET) in Elon, N.C.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• College of Charleston improves to 21-7 in the all-time series with Western Carolina. The Cougars have now won five-straight games in the series and twice on the road in that stretch in Cullowhee, N.C.
• For the second year in a row, CofC compiled a 9-4 record against non-conference opponents under head coach Earl Grant.
• The Cougars tallied 77 points in the ballgame which was the second-most points this season behind an 81-point scoring output versus The Citadel on Nov. 11.
• Joe Chealey turned in his ninth double-figure scoring game of the season with a game-high 18 points at Western Carolina.
• Jarrell Brantley has now scored in double figures in 12-of-13 non-conference games this season. He turned in 17 points and six rebounds at Western Carolina.
• The Cougars knocked down a season-high 10 three-pointers in the ballgame and shot as season-best 50 percent beyond the arc (10-of-20) against the Catamounts.
• The 18-point margin of victory tied a season high next to an 18-point victory at East Carolina on Dec. 15. It was also the largest margin of victory in the series with Western Carolina since 2011 (+29).
• Western Carolina was the fifth opponent this season to be held in the 50's or less by the CofC defense. The Cougars are now 7-1 on the season when holding opponents to 30 points or less at halftime.

POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"We did a good job tonight. We had some guys knock down some early threes that helped us when we made some substitutions. I always believe if we make more threes, we can score a lot more points. We had 10 threes tonight and some of them came in the first half. We executed pretty well and got some transition offense going with our defensive stops. 77 points is a great night for us, and hopefully, we can continue on that momentum."
 
On holding Western Carolina's perimeter shots in the second half …
"We did a better job in the second half of defending their threes and contesting their shots. We made sure we stayed attached. I'm really proud of our ability to take away their three-point baskets in the second half."
 
On the team's performance on the road before the winter break …
"I'm proud that we went 2-for-3 in this road swing. It was pretty impressive to see how we came out tonight and the focus we had. We had some good balance tonight. Our game plan was to play inside-out, try to throw the ball in for post feeds, try to drive it, make them convert and kick it out for threes. We did a good job with that game plan."