TOWSON, Md. – A second-half comeback sparked by Grant Riller and Jarrell Brantley wasn't enough as College of Charleston fell 73-62 at Towson on Sunday afternoon at SECU Arena.
 
Both teams met just nine days ago in the Colonial Athletic Association opener with the final score the same, but this time in favor of the Tigers (12-5, 2-2 CAA).
 
The Cougars (11-5, 2-2 CAA) struggled in the first half shooting 7-of-25 from the field, while Towson went 17-of-34 (50%). The Tigers led by 19 at halftime, 45-26.
 
Using a balanced scoring attack with five players in double figures – including 16 from leading scorer Zane Martin – they kept their undefeated 6-0 home record intact and have won back-to-back games in league play against UNCW, the defending champions, and Charleston, the preseason favorite.
 
In the second half, CofC shot an improved 45.5 percent from the field and got within seven, 69-62, on an AND1 play by Jarrell Brantley with 48 seconds left in regulation.
 
Riller led all scorers with a game-high 18 points and also brought down a career-high six rebounds in the loss. He scored 13 of his points in the second half, while Brantley all of his 15. Chealey added 12.
 
After spending the last four days on the road, the Cougars will return home to host Northeastern (10-6, 3-1 CAA) on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. Tickets can be purchased by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• 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.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"We got off to a slow start and Towson played well. They did what they needed to do to win. But, the whole league is good. I always tell our players, 'this is mid-major basketball.' Every team has players who were highly sought after. Everyone wants to be good and have experienced coaches. At this level, every game is going to be tough. I think, you've seen that with how competitive the league has been so far."
 
On what the team did better in the second half …
"Transition defense. In the first half, it wasn't us. It wasn't the team I know. For whatever reason, we gave up some easy baskets that we never give up. Transition run-outs. In the second half, they (Towson) didn't get those transition run-outs and that was the difference."
 
On Jarrell Brantley's play in the first half …
"He played a little bit out of position in the first half and we had foul trouble. Other than that, he was getting some good shots in the paint in the first half and they weren't going in. We were 4-for-19 in the paint. That was another issue of what was going on. If we made some of those baskets 8-feet and in, the score would've been different in the first half. We did a much better job in the second half of finishing."