CAA Opener Pits Top 2 League Teams In Charleston and Towson

Saturday, December 30

TD Arena

4:00 PM

College of Charleston

Towson

Tickets

CAA Opener Pits Top 2 League Teams In Charleston and Towson

12/29/2017 2:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Towson Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (9-3, 0-0 CAA) vs. TOWSON (10-3, 0-0 CAA)
Game #13
December 30, 2017 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
TD Arena/John Kresse Court (5,100)
at Charleston, S.C.

Television: None
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Series Tied 6-6
Last Meeting: CofC def. Towson, 67-59, in CAA Semifinals on March 5, 2017 in North Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/charleston/
Tickets: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fourth Year at CofC: 60-51
Fourth Year Overall: 60-51
Towson: Pat Skerry
Seventh Year at Towson: 106-103
Ninth Year Overall: 130-128

TELEVISION (None)

RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
Color Analyst: Danny Johnson

GAME PREVIEW
Conference play gets underway as the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorite College of Charleston men's basketball team (9-3, 0-0 CAA) hosts current league leader Towson (10-3, 0-0 CAA) in its first test towards achieving the program's ultimate goal of being the top team at the end of the year on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The Cougars have won seven of their last eight games including a 67-65 road win at Coastal Carolina before the holiday break on Dec. 22. Both squads will see each other twice and early – the first four games of the CAA season in fact – with a return trip to Towson on Jan. 7. Since The College joined the Colonial in July of 2013, it has built a steady rivalry with Towson and UNCW similar to that of Wofford and Davidson in the old Southern Conference days. Sophomore guard Grant Riller is the reigning CAA Player of the Week after averaging a team-leading 27.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in the Cougars' last two wins over in-state foes in South Carolina State and Coastal. Three days later, CofC will play host to Delaware (6-6, 0-0 CAA) to ring in the New Year on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The Cougars are one of five remaining CAA schools that are undefeated (5-0) at home this season. CofC is currently ranked No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll ahead of Towson (No. 12).

TOWSON AT-A-GLANCE
Towson, who was picked to finish second behind CofC with two first-place votes in the preseason poll, put together a strong non-conference record with wins over Georgia Southern, Florida Atlantic, Penn and La Salle. Sophomore guard Zane Martin is the team's leading scorer averaging 18.5 points per game, which ranks sixth-best in the CAA. CofC's Grant Riller (16.9 ppg) and Joe Chealey (16.8 ppg) are No. 8 and No. 9 on that list. The Tigers are known for their prowess on the boards and rank second in the league in offensive rebounding (39.5) and tops in rebounding margin (+5.4).

COFC ALL-TIME IN CAA OPENERS
College of Charleston is 3-1 all-time in CAA openers and will commence the conference season for the first time at home before the New Year as members of the Colonial. Last season, the Cougars opened league play at Elon (W, 66-54) on Dec. 31, 2016 in Elon, N.C., and the previous year at James Madison (W, 65-62) on Dec. 31, 2015 in Harrisonburg, Va. In its inaugural campaign as CAA members in 2013-14, CofC claimed its first-ever league win over James Madison (75-61) on Jan. 7, 2014 at TD Arena.

HOME SWEET HOME
College of Charleston is one of 113 remaining NCAA Division I schools that remains unbeaten at home this season. The Cougars have defeated Siena (OT), Western Carolina, High Point, North Greenville and South Carolina State for a 5-0 mark in the friendly confines of TD Arena. Historically, CofC's home-court winning percentage is .835 and The College is one win away from its 100th all-time win at TD Arena (formerly known as Carolina First Arena which opened in 2008).

TD ARENA ALL-TIME HOME WINS
No. 1 – CofC def. SIU Edwardsville, 72-66, on Nov. 14, 2008
No. 50 – CofC def. Old Dominion, 76-65, on Dec. 18, 2012
No. 100 – ??

DEFENSE WINS BALLGAMES
Not only will the two best ballclubs in the CAA go head-to-head on Saturday, but the two best defenses as College of Charleston is holding opponents to a league-best 63.0 points per game (No. 23 in the nation) and Towson 64.5 points per game (No. 34). The Tigers are also limiting opponents to a 38.3 shooting percentage (No. 19) from the field this season, while the Cougars have held foes to 39.8% (No. 48). Towson also ranks No. 9 in the country in three-point field-goal percentage defense (28.1%).

WHAT 2 WATCH 4
Two-time All-CAA Defensive Team selection Cameron Johnson is 46 points away from joining the 1,000 Career-Point Club at College of Charleston. He has tabulated 954 career points to date with six double-figure scoring games this season after being the team's second-leading scorer (12.3 ppg) as a sophomore in 2015-16. Johnson would become only the 35th all-time player (NCAA Division I and NAIA) in school history to do so.

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2017-18 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM in Charleston or via a live audio link at: www.charlestonsportsradio.com. Voice of the Cougars Everett German will call the action live from TD Arena alongside color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 190, Sr. (16.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, 34.2 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 195, So. (16.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 32.0 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 33.9 min)
#24 Jaylen McManus, F, 6-7, 230, So. (5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 19.6 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 260, Jr. (7.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 27.0 min)

PROJECTED TOWSON STARTERS
#22 Brian Starr, G, 6-3, 185, Sr. (8.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 28.5 min)
#0 Zane Martin, G, 6-4, 205, So. (18.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 25.8 min)
#23 Mike Morsell, G, 6-5, 210, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 24.3 min)
#33 Eddie Keith II, F, 6-5, 240, Sr. (6.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 22.6 min)
#44 Alex Thomas, F, 6-9, 265, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.5 apg, 19.2 min)

SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between College of Charleston and Towson is tied 6-6. The Cougars went 2-1 versus the Tigers during the 2016-17 season with their lone loss in overtime (77-83) on the road. Both teams last met in the semifinals of the 2017 CAA Men's Basketball Championship on March 5, 2017 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C. CofC advanced to its first championship game appearance with the 67-59 victory over the Tigers at the CAA Tournament. The Cougars have won four of the last five meetings between the two schools.

LAST 10 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 67-59 on March 5, 2017 in North Charleston, S.C.^
L, 77-83 (OT) on Jan. 26, 2017 in Towson, Md.
W, 62-57 on Jan. 5, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 65-47 on Feb. 4, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 40-37 on Jan. 21, 2016 in Towson, Md.
L, 50-53 on Feb. 15, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 70-74 on Jan. 29, 2015 in Towson, Md.
L, 61-68 (OT) on Feb. 8, 2014 in Towson, Md.
L, 57-72 on Jan. 19, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 75-58 on Nov. 9, 2012 in Charleston, S.C.
^ CAA Tournament

COASTAL CAROLINA RECAP
College of Charleston 67, Coastal Carolina 65
• For the sixth-straight game, College of Charleston started Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jaylen McManus and Nick Harris.
• With the win, CofC continues to dominate the all-time series versus Coastal Carolina, 38-11. The Cougars have now won five of the last six meetings between the two Palmetto State schools. Each of the last five contests have been decided by single digits.
• Grant Riller reached double figures for the sixth-consecutive game with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field at Coastal Carolina. It marked his fifth game this season with 20-or-more points and his third-straight next to 21 points at Rhode Island on Dec. 16 and career-high 31 points versus South Carolina State on Dec. 19.
• Joe Chealey registered 14 points at Coastal Carolina and has now scored in double figures in 11-of-12 contests this season.
• Cameron Johnson turned in his sixth game this season in double figures with 11 points including two big three-pointers in the second half at Coastal Carolina.
• The Cougars defensively held the Chanticleers to their second-lowest scoring output of the season (65 points) and 6.3 percent shooting from the perimeter (1-for-16).
• Nick Harris grabbed a game-high nine rebounds including eight on the defensive end in 30 minutes of action at Coastal Carolina.
• Jarrell Brantley went 6-for-6 from the free throw line at Coastal Carolina including 4-for-4 down the stretch. He is now a perfect 8-for-8 on the season having played in the last two games for the Cougars after missing most of non-conference play.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We just try to play to our principles. We try to rebound the first miss. We try to be physical. We play with toughness and do what we do. The game will be here soon enough and we just have to go out and make sure we play hard for 40 minutes. Our crowd against South Carolina State was electric. They really brought some good energy, and hopefully, they will show up to see us tomorrow against Towson at four o'clock." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on playing an offensive rebound-minded Towson squad and a battle between the CAA's Top 2 teams

"The big thing for me is trying to get back into a rhythm. With the guys rolling, you learn your place, but you still have to be aggressive. My body has been feeling a lot better. Offensively things will come and the same defensively. The first game (against South Carolina State), I thought I played well. In the second game, it was different. Joe (Chealey) and Grant (Riller) were rolling. I can't really give it a grade or rate it by scoring. You just try to play D and be an energy guy for the team. I still felt like I did a lot with the energy and defending (at Coastal Carolina)." – CofC Junior Forward Jarrell Brantley on his first two games of the season back from a knee injury

"Towson is Towson. You can't really explain them. You know they will always give you their best shot. They never take plays off. They give you their best punch every time. With us being the best two teams in the league, based on the (preseason) voters, tomorrow's game will be big. We will defend, rebound and try to force turnovers. As Cam Johnson likes to say, our team is 'battled tested.' We have been through the ups-and-downs already. We've played a lot of good teams and we stuck in there with them. We had a few games we should have won, but we lost and came up short. Towson is a really good team, but we are, too." – Brantley on facing Towson and the Top 2 teams battling it out in the CAA opener Saturday