CHARLESTON, S.C. – Cameron Johnson drained two free throws with 5.3 seconds left as College of Charleston fought off Towson, 62-57, on Thursday night at TD Arena.
 
The Cougars (12-4, 3-0 CAA) have now won their fourth straight and remain undefeated in conference play. Joe Chealey knocked down a game-high 22 points, while Jarrell Brantley recorded his ninth career double-double with 19 points and game-high 13 rebounds.
 
Towson led 30-27 at the break, but Charleston charged back to take the lead for good following a Brantley jumper at the 11:05 minute mark of the second half.
 
A 12-6 run by the Cougars put them up 58-53 with 56 seconds remaining in regulation and they were able to battle for the defensive rebound on the last play, which sent Johnson to the line.
 
This was the fifth game in the last six contests in the all-time series decided in single digits. CofC has won nine of its last 10 and made its first appearance on its home court since Dec. 4, 2016.
 
The Tigers (8-8, 0-3 CAA) were held to 15.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc against the nation's No. 2 team in three-point field-goal percentage defense. Arnaud William Adala Moto led Towson with 15 points, while Eddie Keith II grabbed 10 rebounds.
 
The Cougars are off to their best start since going 14-2 in its first 16 games of the season in 2003-04.
 
They will have a quick one-day turnaround to prep for Hofstra (9-7, 1-2 CAA) on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. "Family Fun Day" presented by Great Clips will be televised live locally on MyTV Charleston. Tickets can be purchased by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• With the win, College of Charleston levels the all-time series with Towson at 5-5. Five of the last six games in the series have now been decided in single digits. It marked the Cougars' third-straight win in the series after sweeping the Tigers in regular-season play in 2015-16.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded his ninth career double-double and fourth of the season with a season-high tying 19 points and game-high 13 rebounds versus Towson. He is extended his double-digit scoring streak to six-straight games.
• Joe Chealey turned in his sixth career 20-point outing with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field with a season-high four three-pointers. He is also on a six-game double-digit scoring streak.
• Terrance O'Donohue came off the bench and logged-in a season-high 22 minutes of action with four points, season-high five rebounds and one blocked shot against the Tigers.
• The Cougars (12-4) are off to their best since going 14-2 in their first 16 games of the season in 2003-04 under former head coach Tom Herrion. CofC went 11-5 in its first 16 games in 2011-12 and this year's squad matched their 11-4 mark prior to the Towson victory.
• The Cougar defense, ranked No. 2 in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense, held Towson to the third-lowest three-point shooting output by an opponent this season (15.4%). They have also held their last six of seven opponents to under 60 points per game (57).

POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"I'm really proud of our players. We haven't played at home in TD Arena for at least three-to-four weeks. It was our first game back home. For us to come out and beat the team that was picked to finish No. 2 in the CAA was a big accomplishment for us. We had a lot of different guys who gave us great minutes tonight. We played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm It was a tough and physical game, which we expected. I'm proud we were able to come out on top. We made some miscues throughout the game, but we were able to close it out and find a way to win. I'm proud of the type of character they showed tonight."
 
On the consistent and dominant play of Joe Chealey and Jarrell Brantley …
"Both of those guys have been very good for us and scoring the ball. We call their numbers a lot in terms of calling plays for them in certain areas. They have been giving us great offensive output in every game that we have played. I'm so happy. They spend so much time in the gym getting up extra shots. They are gym rats and it's starting to pay off for them. They are making shots and making plays. It's a beautiful thing to see their maturity and growth over the years."
 
College of Charleston Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey
On pulling it out down the stretch …
"We just stuck with it. We knew coming in that they (Towson) dropped two games in conference play. We knew they would be itching to play again and we would get their best shot. They are a really good team. We knew it would be a dog fight tonight. We just made a couple of mistakes down the stretch. We should have put them away earlier. Sometimes you have to win like that and it's good to see that we did."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Forward Jarrell Brantley
On the close game down the stretch …
"This game tested our team and showed us what kind of character that we really have – how we can play if we need to. They (Towson) are a really good team and physical. It's just a credit to our guys how hard we worked and didn't back down."