CHARLESTON, S.C. – Three players scored in double figures including a 20-point performance from Joe Chealey as College of Charleston used a second-half comeback to top Elon, 71-58, on Saturday night before a crowd of 4,081 at TD Arena.
 
Chealey went to the free throw line in the final seconds and became the 34th all-time player in program history to enter the 1,000 Career-Point Club. He now has tabulated 1,001 career points to date.
 
Grant Riller added 13 points, while Jarrell Brantley recorded his 11th career double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
The Cougars (19-6, 10-2 CAA) shot an improved 60.0 percent in the second half (15-of-25) after trailing the Phoenix 28-22 at halftime. They remain in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings and have won their third-straight in conference play.
 
It marked the program's second all-time regular-season sweep of Elon since both teams became members of the league in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The College recorded its first-ever 10-win campaign in the CAA and first since 2012-13 as members of the Southern Conference.
 
Elon (15-10, 7-5 CAA) was led in scoring by Brian Dawkins, who had a game-high 29 points and had its five-game win streak snapped.
 
CofC will have one more home game with Northeastern on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena, before embarking on a tough three-game road stretch at William & Mary, Hofstra and Northeastern. Tickets for the Northeastern game are available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC or going online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• With the win, College of Charleston swept the regular-season series with Elon for only the second time since both programs became members of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The Cougars now lead 18-6 all-time against their former Southern Conference foe. They previously won both games in the regular season in 2014-15 and split in 2015-16.
• The Cougars have now compiled a 10-win season in conference play for the first time since going 14-4 during the 2012-13 campaign as members of the SoCon.
• CofC is one win away from a 20-win campaign and is 19-6 overall – the best start for the Cougars in the first 25 games of the season since 2002-03 (20-5).
• Joe Chealey registered a team-high 20 points against Elon and became the 34th all-time player in program history to gain entrance into the 1,000 Career Point Club. He now has tabulated 1,001 career points to date. Chealey is now on a season-best tying seven-game double-digit scoring streak and has scored in double figures in 20-of-25 games of the season.
• Grant Riller extended his double-digit scoring streak to nine-consecutive games with 13 points versus Elon.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded his 11th career double-double and sixth of the season with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds against Elon.

POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"We showed great maturity tonight. It was one of those nights where we had to depend on our defense in the first half. Our offense wasn't clicking for us and we've been playing really well offensively. Our defense showed up for us in the first half on a night where we didn't score a lot of points. We were able to hold them to 28 points and 33 percent from the field (in the first half). That was a tremendous thing to see from our defense. In the second half, we were unbelievable offensively. We scored 49 points. We made some minor adjustments at half and talked about having balance. We wanted to drive it more and get to the free throw line. I'm happy for our guys that we were able to step-up and play at a high level after a huge win on Thursday (at UNCW)."
 
On the difference of winning close games this season …
"First of all, I knew it would be unbelievably hard to win this game. Elon had won seven out of their last eight. They beat some good teams in William & Mary and Northeastern on the road. They are playing well right now. We knew it would be a challenge. We made a few minor adjustments in the second half. Elon is a great team and are coached well. I expect them to make runs and I expect them to play well – and they did. We just played a little bit better in the second half to give ourselves a chance to win."
 
College of Charleston Redshirt Junior Guard Joe Chealey
On reaching the 1,000-career point milestone …
"I didn't realize it until one of the guys told me about it after the game. It's a blessing to play the game with these guys. It's a testament to my teammates and Coach (Earl) Grant – supporting and believing in me. The main thing was to win the game. It was the main thing we were focused on."
 
On signs of the team's maturity to find a way to win the game in the second half …
"We try to find a way to get a win by any means necessary. We are taking strides in the right direction for sure. We are not there yet, but we are getting there. You have to give Elon credit. They are a good team. They just won five straight. We knew it would be a tough battle for us and it was. We just found a way to win it at the end."
 
College of Charleston Redshirt Freshman Guard Grant Riller
On the team's second-half spark …
"It still has a lot to do with our defense. We got a lot of stops and got a couple of layups in transition. When we got some easy ones, it expanded our offense."