Thursday, February 16
Hempstead, N.Y.
7:00 PM
College of Charleston
at
Hofstra
Photo by: Al Samuels
Cougars Look To Bounce Back On The Road at Hofstra
2/15/2017 5:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (19-8, 10-4 CAA) vs. HOFSTRA (13-14, 5-9 CAA)
Game #28
February 16, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Mack Sports Complex (5,023)
at Hempstead, N.Y.
Television: American Sports Network / MyTV Charleston
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Hofstra Leads 4-3
Last Meeting: CofC def. Hofstra, 77-71, on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.HofstraStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at www.americansportsnet.com/live
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 45-46
Third Year Overall: 45-46
Hofstra: Joe Mihalich
Fourth Year at Hofstra: 67-61
19th Year Overall: 332-264
TELEVISION (American Sports Network)
Play-By-Play: Dave Armstrong
Color Analyst: Daimon Beathea
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (19-8, 10-4 CAA) travels for a two-game conference road swing beginning with Hofstra (13-14, 5-9 CAA) on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Hempstead, N.Y. The game will be televised live on the American Sports Network and carried locally on MyTV Charleston. The Cougars are looking to bounce back from tough losses to Northeastern and William & Mary last week and sit one game back of first place in the latest CAA Standings. They currently rank No. 19 nationally in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), No. 8 in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.5%) and No. 12 in turnovers per game (10.5 avg.). Meanwhile, the Pride rank No. 32 in the country in three-point field goal attempts with 661 on the season – third most in the league. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Grant Riller scored a team-high 26 points in the team's road loss at W&M.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
Hofstra has won three of its last four games with victories over Delaware (73-65) on Feb. 2, Drexel (79-77) on Feb. 4 and at Northeastern (74-64) on Feb. 11. The Pride is currently in a two-way tie for seventh in the league standings with James Madison. They are led by sophomore guard Justin Wright-Foreman who earned CAA Player of the Week honors after averaging 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as Hofstra split its games last week. Wright-Foreman and Charleston's Joe Chealey are tied for third among league scoring leaders averaging 16.7 points per game this season with C.J. Bryce of UNCW.
ON THE BOARDS
Two of the top defensive rebounders in the country hail from College of Charleston and Hofstra. Sophomore big man Jarrell Brantley ranks No. 32 in the nation averaging 6.78 defensive boards per game behind only Hofstra junior center Rokas Gustys (7th, 8.13 avg.). Gustys has recorded eight double-doubles on the season, while Brantley has turned in seven including a 20-point and 10-point performance at William & Mary on Feb. 11.
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2016-17 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 the Mack Sports Complex on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (16.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 33.7 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (13.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 26.4 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 31.5 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (13.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 31.7 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (5.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 24.2 min)
PROJECTED HOFSTRA STARTERS
#2 Deron Powers, G, 6-0, 170, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.1 apg, 32.7 min)
#14 Brian Bernardi, G, 6-2, 195, Sr. (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 34.0 min)
#5 Eli Pemberton, G, 6-4, 190, Fr. (13.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 31.8 min)
#3 Justin Wright-Foreman, G, 6-0, 184, So. (16.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 26.4 min)
#11 Rokas Gustys, C, 6-9, 260, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 27.5 min)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Hofstra leads 4-3 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. The last two games in the series have been decided in single digits including a six-point victory by the Cougars (77-71) on Jan. 7 at TD Arena. However, CofC is 0-3 lifetime when playing on the road at the Mack Sports Complex since joining the CAA in 2013.
LAST SEVEN GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 77-71, on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 63-72 on Feb. 27, 2016 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 72-61 on Jan. 7, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 40-73 on Feb. 25, 2015 in Hempstead, N.Y.
L, 66-71 on Jan. 8, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 67-49 on Feb. 1, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 71-75 on Jan. 11, 2014 in Hempstead, N.Y.
WILLIAM & MARY RECAP
William & Mary 89, College of Charleston 79
• College of Charleston and William & Mary split the regular-season series and Tribe now lead 6-3 in the all-time series. The Cougars remain 0-4 on the road at Kaplan Arena since joining the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013.
• Grant Riller recorded his 11th-straight double-figure game in conference play with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor at William & Mary. He has now scored more 20 points in a ballgame on seven occasions this season.
• Jarrell Brantley turned in his 12th career double-double with 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds at William & Mary. It marked his first 20-point outing of the season and he has now scored in double figures in 23-of-27 games played.
• Joe Chealey extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight-straight games against league opponents with 15 points in 36 minutes of action at William & Mary.
• Nick Harris reached double figures in scoring for only the third time this season with 10 points at William & Mary. He also added six boards.
• The Cougars shot a season-best 58.5 percent from the field (31-of-53) at William & Mary. It eclipsed a 53.8 percentage at Towson in overtime on Jan. 26.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We played two halves of basketball that were uncharacteristic of who we are. We lost a game by one at the buzzer against Northeastern and played a very good William & Mary team on the road. They had not lost at home. I thought it was part of our process. We had some failure, but I don't think every setback is a negative. It could be good for us at this point of the season. Maybe, it gives us a chance to sharpen some of the things we are doing on defense and some of the things we are trying to figure out about how we will score on offense. We have been doing great with that the last two games. Obviously, we wanted to win games, but you learn from those experiences and move on." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on rebounding from the two losses last week to Northeastern and William & Mary
"The biggest thing is for us to go back to the basics of our defensive principles and making sure we take care of the things we can control on both sides of the ball. Specifically, on the defensive end with defensive rebounding. That's been our focus. We understand that defense travels, but you have to be sharp for it to travel with you. If we do those things, we will be fine. Both of those games will be a challenge. Right now, we will focus on Hofstra and then figure out the next one." – Coach Grant on getting momentum back on a two-game road swing with no distractions
"We are trying to fine-tune things here and there. We kind of got away from what we usually do. We are going to get back to it, one practice and one day at a time, and get back to what we do." – Junior Guard Cameron Johnson on rebounding from last week's tough two losses
"Not particularly. We feel like everyone aims at either us and UNCW, because we are No. 1 and No. 2. But, we don't look at the standings. We tell the young guys to just stay focused and good things will happen. We don't feel like the hunted. We try to hunt every night, no matter if we are No. 1 or No. 9 (in the conference). We will continue to do what we do defensively and offensively. " – Johnson on College of Charleston having a target on its back
Game #28
February 16, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Mack Sports Complex (5,023)
at Hempstead, N.Y.
Television: American Sports Network / MyTV Charleston
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: Hofstra Leads 4-3
Last Meeting: CofC def. Hofstra, 77-71, on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.HofstraStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at www.americansportsnet.com/live
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 45-46
Third Year Overall: 45-46
Hofstra: Joe Mihalich
Fourth Year at Hofstra: 67-61
19th Year Overall: 332-264
TELEVISION (American Sports Network)
Play-By-Play: Dave Armstrong
Color Analyst: Daimon Beathea
RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (19-8, 10-4 CAA) travels for a two-game conference road swing beginning with Hofstra (13-14, 5-9 CAA) on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Hempstead, N.Y. The game will be televised live on the American Sports Network and carried locally on MyTV Charleston. The Cougars are looking to bounce back from tough losses to Northeastern and William & Mary last week and sit one game back of first place in the latest CAA Standings. They currently rank No. 19 nationally in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), No. 8 in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.5%) and No. 12 in turnovers per game (10.5 avg.). Meanwhile, the Pride rank No. 32 in the country in three-point field goal attempts with 661 on the season – third most in the league. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Grant Riller scored a team-high 26 points in the team's road loss at W&M.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
Hofstra has won three of its last four games with victories over Delaware (73-65) on Feb. 2, Drexel (79-77) on Feb. 4 and at Northeastern (74-64) on Feb. 11. The Pride is currently in a two-way tie for seventh in the league standings with James Madison. They are led by sophomore guard Justin Wright-Foreman who earned CAA Player of the Week honors after averaging 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as Hofstra split its games last week. Wright-Foreman and Charleston's Joe Chealey are tied for third among league scoring leaders averaging 16.7 points per game this season with C.J. Bryce of UNCW.
ON THE BOARDS
Two of the top defensive rebounders in the country hail from College of Charleston and Hofstra. Sophomore big man Jarrell Brantley ranks No. 32 in the nation averaging 6.78 defensive boards per game behind only Hofstra junior center Rokas Gustys (7th, 8.13 avg.). Gustys has recorded eight double-doubles on the season, while Brantley has turned in seven including a 20-point and 10-point performance at William & Mary on Feb. 11.
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2016-17 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 the Mack Sports Complex on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (16.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 33.7 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (13.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 26.4 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 31.5 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (13.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 31.7 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (5.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 24.2 min)
PROJECTED HOFSTRA STARTERS
#2 Deron Powers, G, 6-0, 170, Sr. (13.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5.1 apg, 32.7 min)
#14 Brian Bernardi, G, 6-2, 195, Sr. (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 34.0 min)
#5 Eli Pemberton, G, 6-4, 190, Fr. (13.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 31.8 min)
#3 Justin Wright-Foreman, G, 6-0, 184, So. (16.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 26.4 min)
#11 Rokas Gustys, C, 6-9, 260, Jr. (8.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 27.5 min)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Hofstra leads 4-3 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. The last two games in the series have been decided in single digits including a six-point victory by the Cougars (77-71) on Jan. 7 at TD Arena. However, CofC is 0-3 lifetime when playing on the road at the Mack Sports Complex since joining the CAA in 2013.
LAST SEVEN GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 77-71, on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 63-72 on Feb. 27, 2016 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 72-61 on Jan. 7, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 40-73 on Feb. 25, 2015 in Hempstead, N.Y.
L, 66-71 on Jan. 8, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 67-49 on Feb. 1, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 71-75 on Jan. 11, 2014 in Hempstead, N.Y.
WILLIAM & MARY RECAP
William & Mary 89, College of Charleston 79
• College of Charleston and William & Mary split the regular-season series and Tribe now lead 6-3 in the all-time series. The Cougars remain 0-4 on the road at Kaplan Arena since joining the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013.
• Grant Riller recorded his 11th-straight double-figure game in conference play with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor at William & Mary. He has now scored more 20 points in a ballgame on seven occasions this season.
• Jarrell Brantley turned in his 12th career double-double with 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds at William & Mary. It marked his first 20-point outing of the season and he has now scored in double figures in 23-of-27 games played.
• Joe Chealey extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight-straight games against league opponents with 15 points in 36 minutes of action at William & Mary.
• Nick Harris reached double figures in scoring for only the third time this season with 10 points at William & Mary. He also added six boards.
• The Cougars shot a season-best 58.5 percent from the field (31-of-53) at William & Mary. It eclipsed a 53.8 percentage at Towson in overtime on Jan. 26.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We played two halves of basketball that were uncharacteristic of who we are. We lost a game by one at the buzzer against Northeastern and played a very good William & Mary team on the road. They had not lost at home. I thought it was part of our process. We had some failure, but I don't think every setback is a negative. It could be good for us at this point of the season. Maybe, it gives us a chance to sharpen some of the things we are doing on defense and some of the things we are trying to figure out about how we will score on offense. We have been doing great with that the last two games. Obviously, we wanted to win games, but you learn from those experiences and move on." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on rebounding from the two losses last week to Northeastern and William & Mary
"The biggest thing is for us to go back to the basics of our defensive principles and making sure we take care of the things we can control on both sides of the ball. Specifically, on the defensive end with defensive rebounding. That's been our focus. We understand that defense travels, but you have to be sharp for it to travel with you. If we do those things, we will be fine. Both of those games will be a challenge. Right now, we will focus on Hofstra and then figure out the next one." – Coach Grant on getting momentum back on a two-game road swing with no distractions
"We are trying to fine-tune things here and there. We kind of got away from what we usually do. We are going to get back to it, one practice and one day at a time, and get back to what we do." – Junior Guard Cameron Johnson on rebounding from last week's tough two losses
"Not particularly. We feel like everyone aims at either us and UNCW, because we are No. 1 and No. 2. But, we don't look at the standings. We tell the young guys to just stay focused and good things will happen. We don't feel like the hunted. We try to hunt every night, no matter if we are No. 1 or No. 9 (in the conference). We will continue to do what we do defensively and offensively. " – Johnson on College of Charleston having a target on its back
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballWednesday, June 10
Wednesday, May 27
Saturday, May 16
Wednesday, May 13
