CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Grant Riller scored seven of his game-high 21 points in overtime as the College of Charleston beat Siena in a 68-60 overtime thriller in Friday night's season opener for both teams.
 
Joe Chealey scored 17 points for the Cougars, who, after trailing by as many as seven, led 28-25 at halftime behind Riller's eight points. Nick Harris finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Riller's two free throws put the Cougars up 61-56 in overtime, his 3-pointer with 1:02 left gave them a six-point lead and he capped the game with a layup off a steal.
 
His free throw with seven seconds left in regulation put Charleston up 53-51, but Jordan Horn's layup at the buzzer tied it.
 
Prince Oduro scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his college debut for Siena, which graduated five seniors and lost 72 percent of its scoring and 68 percent of its rebounding from last year's team. Nico Clareth scored 15 points and Khalil Richard added 14.
 
Charleston, the preseason favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association, will be tested early on the road with the likes of No. 7/8-ranked Wichita State up next on Monday, Nov. 13 in Wichita, Kan. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. (ET) / 8 p.m. (CT).
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• College of Charleston started Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jaylen McManus and Nick Harris. It marked the first career start for McManus, who played in 28 games off the bench last season.
• With the win, the Cougars now lead 1-0 in the all-time series with Siena. CofC is now also 10-3 all-time versus opponents hailing from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
• CofC is now 15-2 all-time in home openers since its first season as a NCAA Division I member in 1991-92. In the Earl Grant Era, the Cougars are a perfect 4-0 in season openers.
• Grant Riller turned in his eighth 20-point outing of his career with a game-high 21 points against Siena. He went 6-of-8 from the free throw line and dished out three assists.
• Joe Chealey knocked down 17 points along with grabbing seven rebounds versus the Saints.
• Nick Harris registered a near double-double performance with 11 points and nine rebounds versus Siena. He scored six of the team's first 10 points in the contest including the opening basket of the 2017-18 season.
• Marquise Pointer came off the bench and turned in seven points including a game-changing three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
• CofC's defense forced Siena to commit 24 turnovers in the ballgame, which resulted into 23 points for the Cougars.
• While the team struggled from the field (23-of-70) and long-range (5-of-25), the Cougars shot an improved 62.5% in overtime, while also limiting Siena to just four shot attempts.
• The Cougars had 4,955 fans in attendance that packed their 5,100-seat facility – TD Arena.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"I was really excited tonight about our student section and the community. They showed up and became our Sixth Man. In a game like that, they made a huge difference. I am really appreciative they showed up and supported our players like they did. We went into the game with a game-time decision on Jarrell Brantley. We thought we were going to play him and decided not to play him. Certain guys who never started or played a lot of minutes, ended up playing a lot tonight. Jaylen (McManus) and Osi (Smart) combined for 42 minutes. We had guys making big shots and getting big stops. The most encouraging thing to see was that we held Siena to 25 points in the first half. In their last game, they had a guy who had 33 points. We played hard and stayed true to who we are (defensively) as a team."
 
On the team's shooting woes …
"We won a game and the team scored 60. That's a good night for us. It would have been nice to make a few more shots. I am pleased with their effort and how they stuck with it. They didn't wilt or worry. They stayed poised. They played great. At the end of the day, sometimes you have to win ugly. I like that and that's fine. There are going to be three-or-four more games that will be ugly. It just so happen to be on the first night. It was an ugly game, but we did it our way. We stayed connected and got the win."
 
On Marquise Pointer's big three-pointer down the stretch …
"He is just a winner. He won all in high school. He won state championships and won in AAU. That's why he is here (at College of Charleston) and why he was on the floor. Those guys executed the play and trusted each other. He made the shot. That was a big sign of trust between the players to make the extra pass, get it to him and he delivered."
 
College of Charleston Senior Guard Joe Chealey
On the game …
"It was an exciting game. It wasn't the prettiest. But, we are happy to start our season off 1-0. To say, we didn't play our best basketball is an understatement. We didn't shoot well at all. I think that's the worst I've ever shot (6-of-21). We got the win and that's all that matters at the end of the day."
 
On Marquise Pointer's big three-pointer at the end of regulation …
"It was timely and a big shot. He is a big-time player. We know what he can do and he stepped up for us tonight. I am happy for him. In the locker room, we know he is just a junkyard dog. We know we will get that from him night-in and night-out. You know Quise will play hard and lock down on defense. He showed that tonight."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Grant Riller
On the team's shooting and what kept them in the game …
"Defense is really what our team is built around. Even if we have 28 points at the end of half, they (our opponents) will still have 25. As long as we buckle down on defense, we know the shots will fall."