CHARLESTON, S.C. – Preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite and defending league champion UNCW hung on for a 65-59 victory over College of Charleston in a battle of the league's top two teams on Thursday night before a season-best crowd of 4,631 at TD Arena.
 
Both teams entered the contest with undefeated records. Jordon Talley led the Seahawks (18-2, 7-0 CAA) with 17 points as did Joe Chealey for the Cougars (15-5, 6-1) including 15 second-half points.
 
Talley was one of four UNCW players in double figures with Denzel Ingram and C.J. Bryce tallying 13 each and Chris Flemmings 11. The Seahawks shot 35.6 percent from the floor and held CofC to 28.8 percent shooting from the field with their press.
 
UNCW broke open a 39-39 tie holding Charleston scoreless for almost four minutes as they charged to a 48-40 lead at the 12:05 minute mark of the second half. Talley hit a 3-pointer and made four free throws in the final minute as the Seahawks claimed sole possession of first place in the CAA.
 
Jarrell Brantley fouled out with 12 points, six rebounds and one block for the Cougars, who had their seven-game win streak halted.
 
CofC will have a quick turnaround as it hosts James Madison (6-14, 3-4 CAA) in both teams' second meeting of the conference season on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. Tickets are available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• UNCW has now won eight in a row in the all-time series and it was the third-straight game against College of Charleston that was decided in single digits (+6).
• Joe Chealey led all CofC scorers with a game-high tying 17 points including 15 second-half points. He has now scored in double figures in 15-of-20 games played this season. Chealey also led the team in assists with a 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Jarrell Brantley fouled out of the ballgame with 12 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot against the Seahawks.
• Grant Riller is now on a season-best four-game CAA double-digit scoring streak with 11 points versus UNCW.
• Chevez Goodwin played only 12 minutes in the ballgame and brought down a team-high nine boards.
• The Cougars, who rank No. 11 in the nation in turnovers per game, only committed 11 turnovers against UNCW's press.
• Jaylen McManus came off the bench and contributed a career-high seven points and seven rebounds in only 11 minutes of action against UNCW.

POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"It was a very competitive game. There was a lot of energy in the building. I was really proud of how our players competed for 40 minutes. We got ourselves in trouble early with some silly fouls. It put us in a situation where we had to play some lineups that we didn't play at all this year – different guys on the floor at the same time. The positive was freshman Jaylen McManus came out and played really well in the few minutes he played. It was a two-possession game. It was not a ton of mistakes. We only had 11 turnovers against a team that presses. We had some missed layups down the stretch where we had a chance to finish it. Wilmington is right now the defending champion. We will continue to improve our program and we will have the chance to see those guys again."
 
College of Charleston Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey
On the game …
"It was a fun game. That's what you want in college basketball and in conference (play). The Top 2 teams so far in the league. That's what you kind of expect. There weren't too many jitters. We made a few mistakes that we will learn from and bounce back from. You have to give them (UNCW) credit though. They made a few plays late to win the game."
 
College of Charleston Junior Guard Cameron Johnson
On trying to shutdown the UNCW offense …
"Individually, and as a team, we did a very good job. They were 3-for-16 from the three (in the first half). They like to get the three-ball up. Foul trouble hit us early. They did something right. It hit Jarrell (Brantley) early and our other bigs. We did well defensively, besides being in foul trouble. Like Joe (Chealey) said, usually we don't play with certain guys on the floor and it made it tough for us."