Cougars Host Drexel On Senior Night

Saturday, February 25

TD Arena

5:00 PM

College of Charleston

Drexel (Senior Day)

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Al Samuels

2/24/2017 8:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (22-8, 13-4 CAA) vs. DREXEL (9-21, 3-14 CAA)
Game #31
February 25, 2017 • 5:00 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: CofC Leads 6-4
Last Meeting: CofC def. Drexel, 90-76, on Jan. 28, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/charleston/
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Third Year at CofC: 48-46
Third Year Overall: 48-46
Drexel: Zach Spiker
First Year at Drexel: 9-21
Eighth Year Overall: 111-133

TELEVISION (None)

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

GAME PREVIEW
With a No. 2 seed and first-round bye secured at next week's Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship, the College of Charleston men's basketball team (22-8, 13-4 CAA) still looks to finish strong in its regular-season finale against Drexel (9-21, 3-14 CAA) on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The Cougars remain one game back of UNCW. Should both teams tie with a 14-4 record in conference play, the Seahawks would still win the tiebreaker by virtue of both teams' regular-season results versus No. 3 seed Towson. CofC split the regular-season series, while UNCW swept the series with the Tigers. The Cougars locked up their tournament seeding with a 78-65 victory over Delaware on Feb. 23. With a conference championship mindset, Charleston is playing some of its best basketball of the season averaging 76.8 points per game and shooting 51.6 percent from the field in its last six games of the season. Head Coach Earl Grant has his team peaking at the right time with a combination of the program's signature defense and improved offense coming together. The Cougars are holding opponents to a league-best 63.8 points per game, which ranks No. 25 nationally. They also rank No. 12 in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.3%) and No. 7 in turnovers per game (10.3 avg.) behind floor general Joe Chealey, who boasts a 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last three games (15-to-4). He is two assists shy of recording his second 100+ assist season. Chealey and sophomore forward Jarrell Brantley led CofC to victory over Delaware with double-double performances.

A LOOK AT DREXEL
The Dragons have dropped their last four-straight games in conference play since a 79-61 upset of fourth-place William & Mary on Feb. 9. While it may be a rebuilding year for first-year head coach Zach Spiker, don't count Drexel out. Seven of the team's last eight contests have been decided in single digits and three by two points-or-less. The Dragons are coming off a close loss to James Madison (64-70) on Feb. 23 and have played four of their last five at home. They are 0-8 on the road this season against CAA opponents.

SCENARIOS
A Charleston win against Drexel and a Northeastern win at UNCW on Saturday, would give the Cougars a share of the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title with UNCW. However, the Seahawks would still earn the No. 1 tournament seed and the league's automatic NIT berth. CofC will play the first-round winner of No. 7-seeded James Madison or No. 10-seeded Drexel in the CAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 4 at 6 p.m. (ET) at the North Charleston Coliseum. Fans can purchased tickets for the CAA Men's Basketball Championship at www.Ticketmaster.com.

SENIOR SWAN SONG
The Cougars will honor four seniors prior to the Drexel game in veteran big man Terrance O'Donohue (Norcross, Ga.), guard Payton Hulsey (Memphis, Tenn.), walk-on Erik Goldbach (Lancaster, Pa.) and manager Michael Wright (Gaffney, S.C.). O'Donohue has played in 81 career games with six starts, while Hulsey was a JUCO transfer from Eastern Florida State College that appeared in 36 games with 34 starts during his CofC career. Goldbach was a former three-year team manager who earned a spot on the roster this season, while Wright has assisted the program the last two years after transferring from Spartanburg Methodist College.

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 with color analyst Danny Johnson from TD Arena on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 195, RS-Jr. (17.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 33.7 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 185, RS-Fr. (13.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 26.7 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 31.5 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, So. (13.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 31.9 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 250, So. (5.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 0.3 apg, 24.1 min)

PROJECTED DREXEL STARTERS
#1 Kurk Lee, G, 5-10, 150, Fr. (15.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.0 apg, 32.7 min)
#15 Sammy Mojica, G, 6-3, 195, Jr. (11.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 31.5 min)
#12 Kari Jonsson, G, 6-3, 170, Fr. (9.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 28.6 min)
#24 Rodney Williams, F, 6-7, 225, Sr. (16.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 30.7 min)
#5 Austin Williams, F, 6-8, 240, Jr. (7.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.5 apg, 22.2 min)

COACHING TIES
College of Charleston Assistant Coach Quinton Ferrell previously served as an assistant coach for one season at Army under current Drexel Head Coach Zach Spiker. While Ferrell was at West Point, the Black Knights recorded a program-best 10 conference wins in the Patriot League in 2013-14 and also turned in back-to-back winning seasons in league play for the first time in school history.

INSIDE THE SERIES
College of Charleston leads 6-4 in the all-time series with Drexel. Last year, both teams split the regular-season series protecting each of their home courts. Six of the 10 all-time meetings between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or less. CofC claimed its first-ever road win at Drexel (90-76) on Jan. 28.

LAST 10 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 90-76 (+14) on Jan. 28, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa.
W, 60-38 (+22) on Feb. 6, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 54-61 (-7) on Jan. 9, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pa.
W, 56-48 (+8) on March 6, 2015 in Baltimore, Md.^
L, 45-59 (-14) on Feb. 7, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 51-53 (-2) on Jan. 24, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pa.
L, 45-56 (-11) on Feb. 26, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pa.
W, 47-46 (+1) on Feb. 13, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 75-65 (+10) on Dec. 28, 1996 in North Charleston, S.C.
W, 56-51 (+5) on Dec. 29, 1994 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
^ CAA Tournament

DELAWARE RECAP
College of Charleston 78, Delaware 65
• With the win, College of Charleston now owns a one-game lead, 6-5, in the all-time series with Delaware. The Cougars claimed the regular-season series sweep of the Blue Hens for the first time since joining the CAA in 2013.
• The Cougars have now won 22 games on the season – the program's most wins in regular-season play since the 2010-11 season when CofC reached the quarterfinals of the NIT under former head coach Bobby Cremins.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded a season-high tying 21 points and 10 rebounds against Delaware. It marked his 13th career double-double and eighth of the season. He has now reached 20-or-more points five times in his career. Brantley is on a six-game double-digit scoring streak with three 20+ outings.
• Joe Chealey registered his first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. He was three shy of a triple double with a career-high tying seven assists. Chealey is on a 12-game double-digit scoring streak with back-to-back 20-point games.
• Marquise Pointer came off the bench and contributed a season-high 11 points against Delaware.
• Offensively, the Cougars have knocked down 70-or-more points in a game over the last six-straight contests including a 78-point scoring output against the Blue Hens.
• CofC made a season-high seven blocked shots in the ballgame including three from big men Jarrell Brantley and two from Nick Harris.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We have to do the best job we can of putting together a game plan that gives us a chance to be successful. The most important thing for us on Saturday is to go out there and play well. It's the last home game. It's Senior Night and a 20-year reunion for our (1996-97 NCAA Tournament Team). The most important thing is for us to finish the second season. The third season is next weekend. But, this second season, we have one more game left and we have to do a good job of finishing that one." – College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant on wrapping up the regular season with Drexel

"We have been playing well. We have gotten a lot better this year. Early in the year, we would win in the 50s. Then we started winning in the 60s. Now, we are scoring in the 70s and 80s. It's been a process where we have been able to score with a lot of different guys and have different threats. Defensively, there are more possessions now. We aren't shooting it with five seconds left on the clock. We are shooting it with 15 seconds left on the clock. The game is faster and people are scoring more. I'm excited about where we are offensively and we just have to keep building on it." – Coach Grant on the Cougars having a good balance on offense and defense leading into the CAA Tournament

"I'm living in the moment of having a great four years here at the College of Charleston. I've been through a lot of adversity – grown and matured a lot. I'm just going to continue to love the experience and ride. It really is important that we win our two games this week, which is the main focus. Our goal is still attainable. We knew it would be a building process, but I did ultimately, expect this (the success) to happen. This is only my second winning season since I've been here. Coming off a season where we only won nine games, to now, winning 20+ is incredible." – Senior Forward Terrance O'Donohue on his four-year career at College of Charleston