CHARLESTON, S.C. – Grant Riller scored a game-and career-high 31 points to lead College of Charleston to a 80-64 victory over South Carolina State in a Palmetto State showdown on Tuesday night at TD Arena.
 
The Cougars (8-3) have won six of their last seven games and improved to 5-0 on their home court this season.
 
Riller shot 12-of-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs (4-10). He was joined in double figures by junior big man Nick Harris, who turned in his second career double-double with 10 points and game-high 10 rebounds.
 
CofC led 35-25 at halftime. The Bulldogs got within single digits, 44-37, on a three-pointer by leading scorer Donte Wright in the second half, but it was all Charleston sparked by Riller and Harris.
 
For the game, the Cougars shot 46.7 percent from the field to South Carolina State's 32.3 percent (21-of-65).
 
They were energized by the return of preseason All-CAA First Team selection Jarrell Brantley, who made his debut after missing all 10 games of the season with a knee injury prior to SC State. He registered eight points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench.
 
The preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite Cougars have one more non-conference game left at Coastal Carolina on Friday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Conway, S.C., before the winter break and league opener before the New Year against Towson on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the fifth-straight contest, College of Charleston went with the starting lineup of Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jaylen McManus and Nick Harris.
• With the win, College of Charleston improved to 13-8 in the all-time series with South Carolina State. The Cougars have now won six-straight games in the series.
• Grant Riller registered a career-and game-high 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field, 4-of-6 from long range and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe against South Carolina State. He was the last CofC player to reach the 30-point mark in a single game with his previous career-high of 30 at Drexel on Jan. 28, 2017. Riller is now on a season-best five-game double-digit scoring streak and turned in back-to-back games with 20+ points. It marked his fourth game this season with 20-or-more points and second 30-point game of his career.
• Nick Harris recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds versus South Carolina State. It marked the second double-double performance of his career.
• CofC claimed all-time win No. 99 at TD Arena and remain an undefeated 5-0 at home this season.
• The Cougars have now shot better than 46.7% from the field in three of their last four games.
• CofC dished out a season-high 18 assists against South Carolina State behind a team-best six from Joe Chealey. He currently ranks 15th all-time in career assists (328).
• Defensively, the Cougars have held each of their last seven opponents to 68 points or less of offensive scoring production. South Carolina State was held to 64 points and came into the game having scored 83 points or more in three of its last four contests.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On South Carolina State's Ty Solomon …
"First off, it was really good to see (South Carolina State senior guard) Ty Solomon out there tonight. I heard about everything that happened with him and heard he was doing well. Certainly his situation, makes you realize that there is so much more than a basketball game or basketball."
 
On the game …
"I thought we played well. I knew it would be a little choppy. We played 10 games without Jarrell Brantley and hadn't posted a four-man in 10 games. We also didn't play Jaylen McManus at the three (position) in 10 games. There were some turnovers and we were out of rhythm in certain situations. I am glad we were able to put it together and find a way to win the game. I thought our guys did a great job of being unselfish and figuring it out tonight."
 
On the return of Jarrell Brantley …
"Obviously, he makes a difference. He does a lot of things. He passes the ball, he can make shots and he can post. I think the biggest thing is his post presence. We haven't really had that from a four-man. Now, we are going to reinvent ourselves a little bit. We used to post our four, we hadn't done it in 10 games and we spent a lot of time posting Nick (Harris). Hopefully, Nick will have a chance at offensive rebounds on the backside, because the four-man is posting now. Tonight, he did a good job of passing the ball, playing defense and running the floor. He actually looked better than I thought he would with his conditioning. Now, we can get inside with a four and five (player) and score more baskets in the paint."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Grant Riller
On the return of Jarrell Brantley …
"On the defensive side, we have been getting outrebounded a lot without him. Now that he's back, it gives me the opportunity to kind of leak out in transition and get a couple of easy ones. On offense, he just attracts so much attention that it makes it easier for all of us."
 
College of Charleston Junior Forward Jarrell Brantley
On being out the first two months of the season …
"It's been a new test and I didn't expect it (to happen). It's always hard to deal with, but my teammates did a really good job of helping me through it. When I was dedicated to a new grind, it was a little easier. Yes, it was important to get my feet wet and get some rust off. Towson is playing well right now and we play them first. I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting bumped and bruised in the first game in conference play. It felt good out there tonight and I feel even better than I was before."