Cougars and Huskies Meet Thursday In Another Defensive Battle

Thursday, January 11

TD Arena

7:00 PM

College of Charleston

Northeastern

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Cougars and Huskies Meet Thursday In Another Defensive Battle

1/10/2018 7:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Northeastern Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (11-5, 2-2 CAA) vs. NORTHEASTERN (10-6, 3-1 CAA)
Game #17
January 11, 2018 • 7:00 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: Northeastern Leads 5-3
Last Meeting: CofC def. Northeastern, 85-71, on Feb. 18, 2017 in Boston, Mass.
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: 62-53
Fourth Year Overall: 62-53
Northeastern: Bill Coen
12th Year at NU: 188-182
12th Year Overall: 188-182

TELEVISION (None)

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

GAME PREVIEW
For the second-consecutive game in conference play, the College of Charleston men's basketball team (11-5, 2-2 CAA) will meet its match in another defensive battle with Northeastern (10-6, 3-1) on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. Both teams currently rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the league in scoring defense behind Towson with the Cougars holding opponents to 66.0 points per game and the Huskies 68.1 points per game. CofC is looking to shake off two tough road losses at Drexel and Towson last week, while Northeastern is hoping to build on a two-game winning stretch against Elon and James Madison. In the latest CAA standings, Northeastern is tied for second at 3-1 on the season, while Charleston is tied for third at 2-2. Three of the Top 10 scorers in the league will be on hand in Thursday's contest represented by the CofC duo of senior Joe Chealey (5th, 17.9 ppg) and sophomore Grant Riller (9th, 16.1 ppg) and NU's Vasa Pusica (10th, 15.8 ppg). Riller led all scorers with a game-high 18 points in the team's last outing versus the Tigers, while Pusica turned in 12 points and nine assists versus the Dukes. The College is one of four Colonial teams that remain undefeated at home this season next to William & Mary, Elon and Towson.

SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
Northeastern is currently the second-best shooting team in the CAA with a 47.0 accuracy from the field this season. On the other side of the ball, the Huskies rank second in three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.8%). They made a season-high 14 three-pointers in their last outing versus JMU. NU has won eight of its last 10 games of the season, which included a five-game win streak in non-conference play versus Harvard, Cornell, Bucknell, Vermont and Kent State.

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. (17.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 35.5 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 195, So. (16.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 32.9 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Sr. (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 32.9 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, Jr. (16.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 30.0 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 260, Jr. (6.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 0.4 apg, 26.2 min)

PROJECTED NORTHEASTERN STARTERS
#22 Donnell Gresham Jr., G, 6-1, 203, RS-So. (8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 24.8 min)
#4 Vasa Pusica, G, 6-5, 210, RS-Jr. (15.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 31.6 min)
#1 Shawn Occeus, G, 6-4, 208, So. (10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 26.3 min)
#14 Maxime Boursiquot, F, 6-5, 211, So. (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 19.4 min)
#30 Anthony Green, C, 6-10, 252, Jr. (5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.3 apg, 14.8 min)

CAA CAREER SCORING LEADERS
College of Charleston is home to three of the Top 10 active CAA career scoring leaders in Joe Chealey (1,502 career points to date), senior Cameron Johnson (979) and junior Jarrell Brantley (961). Johnson is 21 points and Brantley 39 points shy of joining the 1,000 Career-Point Club. They would become only the 35th and 36th all-time players (NCAA Division I and NAIA) in school history to do so.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Northeastern leads 5-3 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Six of those eight games between the Cougars and Huskies have been decided in single digits. Last season, both teams split the regular-season series with each winning on each other's home court. CofC claimed its second-ever win on the road in the series at Northeastern in both teams' last meeting (W, 85-71) on Feb. 18, 2017 at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.

LAST EIGHT GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 85-71 (+14) on Feb. 18, 2017 in Boston, Mass.
L, 72-73 (-1) on Feb. 9, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 57-58 (-1) on Feb. 25, 2016 in Boston, Mass.
W, 68-61 (+7) on Jan. 28, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 56-65 (-9) on Feb. 28, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 67-69 (-2) on Jan. 17, 2015 in Boston, Mass.
L, 44-60 (-16) on Feb. 15, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 58-49 (+9) on Jan. 13, 2014 in Boston, Mass.

TOWSON RECAP
Towson 73, College of Charleston 62
• In all four of its conference games this season, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• College of Charleston and Towson split the regular-season series and the all-time series is now tied 7-7.
• Grant Riller registered a game-high 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field at Towson. He has now scored in double figures in eight of the team's last nine games. Riller also grabbed a career-high six rebounds including five on the defensive end.
• Jarrell Brantley extended his double-digit scoring streak to four-straight games with 15 points at Towson. He also led the Cougars with seven rebounds.
• Joe Chealey has now scored in double figures in 15-of-16 games this season with 12 points including 7-of-9 from the free throw line at Towson. He moved past former CofC great Tony White, Jr. (2007-10) on the school's all-time leading scorers list with 1,502 career points to date, which ranks ninth-best in program history.
• Freshman Samba Ndiaye played a career-high eight minutes and grabbed two rebounds and made a career-high three blocked shots at Towson.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"Obviously, the road is tough and we had a tough trip. This is a really good league. We played two games in three days. We didn't necessarily play well. We saw our mistakes and figured out what we needed to improve on. I think it's a big result of us not having a lot of practice time. We got away from the (normal) process. We were playing games and not practicing. It's nice to be back in the gym and practicing now. It's also good to be back home." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on bouncing back from two tough road losses last week at Drexel and Towson

"It wasn't too easy at home. In the (first) Towson game, it took us a while to get a lead. Both games, we really found a way to win it. We didn't play to our identity. We gave up a ton of points and that's not us. We really have to defend and rebound at a high level. We have the talent to do so. Northeastern is a very good team with a very good coach. I respect what they do. They are having a good season and always present a great challenge. They force you to be sharp with your game plan and execution." – Coach Grant on the team's first two conference wins of the season at home and the challenge Northeastern presents on Thursday

"We have been faced with a lot of adversity this year. A lot of things have happened. I think adversity is good for a team that is trying to climb a hill and build their identity and do special things. We made progress and still have a lot of work to do. I think our guys understand that the road is tough and you have to play really well and your energy has to be up. That's one of the things that bothered us in this last trip. Our energy level wasn't quite what it normally is at home or on the road – and that's a big part of who were are." – Coach Grant on the ups-and-downs of the current season

"We have to make sure we stick to our principles. We got away from who we are defensively and that's what we need to focus on. We weren't too high (on being picked as preseason favorite). We just weren't focused and locked in. We are a very talented team, but we relied on our scoring. It was a good lesson for us. It gets our heads straight to when the end of conference play comes. The second half of play at Towson was who we are. If we can do that for 40 minutes, we will be more successful this season." – Junior Guard Marquise Pointer on bouncing back from two tough road losses