HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) – Joe Chealey hit a jumper and Grant Riller added a free throw in the final seconds to give College of Charleston a 53-51 victory over James Madison on Thursday night at the JMU Convocation Center.
 
Chealey nailed a jump shot to give the Cougars (14-4, 5-0 CAA) a 52-51 lead with 24 seconds remaining. James Madison's Joey McLean missed a jumper. Riller, who totaled 19 points, grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He split a pair of free throws to secure the win.
 
The Dukes, who had their biggest lead at 34-24 with 16:50 left, were up 50-46 with 3:23 remaining. Charleston's Nick Harris made a jumper and Chealey followed with a layup to tie with 2:32 left.
 
Both teams hit seven from distance and made 18 field goal attempts. The Cougars won it at the free throw line, making 10-of-15, while the Dukes made 8-of-13.
 
Jackson Kent led James Madison (5-13, 3-2) with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and three 3-pointers.
 
The Cougars have now won six-straight games and 11 of their last 12. They return home to host William & Mary on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The game will be televised live locally on MyTV Charleston. Tickets are available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• College of Charleston is off to its best start since joining the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013. The Cougars are an undefeated 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 2010-11 as members of the Southern Conference.
• The all-time series is now tied 4-4 between CofC and James Madison. It marked only the program's second road win in Harrisonburg in the series in three tries.
• The Cougars are now 3-0 in CAA games this season when trailing at halftime. They trailed James Madison by seven points at the break. It was the third league game behind a three-point deficit at halftime against Towson on Jan. 5 and six-point deficit at Delaware on Jan. 2.
• Grant Riller turned in a game-high 19 points at James Madison. He has now registered back-to-back games in double figures in CAA play. It marked his season-best in a CAA game this season.
• Cameron Johnson recorded his fourth double-figure game of the season with 11 points with a season-high tying three three-pointers.

POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"Our guys came out and played with a lot of energy and toughness tonight. James Madison has a really good team. I know (JMU Head Coach) Lou Rowe is getting those guys to play hard. They will continue to get better throughout the season. I knew they were going to be a challenge with their experience and how hard they play. I was just happy that our guys found a way to win on the road. We had to win that game with defense. It took a lot of effort and energy. Give my players and coaches all of the credit, because they did a great job."

On the team's offense and shooting …
"It was one of those nights where we said, 'we had to win it with our defense,' and that's what we did."
 
On Joe Chealey's play down the stretch …
"He's our starting point guard. He's our most mature player on the team in terms of age. He's an older guy and has experience. He's our leader. I knew he would make shots down the stretch. I'm glad we didn't call a timeout late when he had the ball in his hand when he made that big shot. We weren't worried about Joe (not scoring in the first half). We knew down the stretch he would be the guy who would take it."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Forward Nick Harris
On the final stretch …
"That steal was key and I tried to dive on the loose balls which we call EGB's. I finally made a jump hook and it was perfect timing. It feels good (to improve to 5-0 in CAA play). We still have our best basketball ahead of us. We picked our intensity up big time in the second half and on defense. We weren't focused on our offense. We focused on defense and that's all that matters."