Cougars Set To Duel Rhode Island In Tuesday Rematch

Tuesday, November 13

TD Arena

7:00 PM

College of Charleston

Rhode Island

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Cougars Set To Duel Rhode Island In Tuesday Rematch

11/12/2018 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Rhode Island Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (2-0, 0-0 CAA) vs. RHODE ISLAND (1-0, 0-0 A-10)
Game #3
November 13, 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 | 94.7 FM)
Series History: Rhode Island Leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Rhode Island def. CofC, 68-62, on Dec. 16, 2017 in Kingston, R.I.
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
Fifth Year at CofC: 79-56
Fifth Year Overall: 79-56
Rhode Island: David Cox
First Year at URI: 1-0
First Year Overall: 1-0

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

GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (2-0) is set to duel perennial Atlantic 10 Conference power Rhode Island (1-0) in a Tuesday, Nov. 13 rematch at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The Cougars are looking to protect their 17-game home court win streak and avenge a 68-62 road loss at Rhode Island last season. This will be the team's last home game until after the Thanksgiving holiday break. They are fresh off a 77-74 road win at former Southern Conference rival Western Carolina on Nov. 10. CofC will be tested in its next five-game stretch with the likes of Rhode Island, Oklahoma State and preseason Top 25-ranked LSU. Last year, reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Grant Riller recorded his third 20-point game of the season with a game-high 21 points at URI. The preseason All-CAA First Team selection currently leads the conference in scoring with back-to-back 20-point games versus Presbyterian College and Western Carolina. In the Cougars' last outing, the defense forced WCU to commit 14 turnovers, while also making a season-high seven blocked shots and 11 steals. Head Coach Earl Grant's squad has also gotten scoring production from its newcomers as well as returners, who have returned to the lineup after sustaining injuries in the off-season.

GAME PROMOTIONS
It's "True to the Maroon Tuesday" as fans are encouraged to wear maroon to the Rhode Island game. The first 1,000 CofC students will receive a maroon replica jersey and all fans will receive a maroon pom-pom, while supplies last. Halftime performance by Albert Lucas, professional juggler. Tickets start at just $15 and can be purchased by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets

A LOOK AT RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island is under the leadership of first-year head coach David Cox, a former assistant coach who was hired after Danny Hurley took over at UConn. The Rams return one starter from last year's NCAA Tournament squad, which defeated Oklahoma (W, 83-78 OT) in the first round. URI was picked to finish fifth in the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll behind Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's, Davidson and George Mason. The Rams opened up their season with a 97-63 victory over Bryant on Nov. 6 and have not played a game in seven days.

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2018-19 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM and 94.7 FM 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 along with color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 170, RS-Fr. (10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 34.5 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Jr. (27.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 36.5 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, So. (12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 29.5 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 255, Sr. (16.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 32.5 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 270, Sr. (0.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 13.0 min)

PROJECTED RHODE ISLAND STARTERS
#11 Jeff Dowtin, G, 6-3, 180, Jr. (17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 9.0 apg, 31.0 min)
#1 Fatts Russell, G, 5-10, 165, So. (21.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 23.0 min)
#25 Christion Thompson, G, 6-4, 190, RS-Jr. (14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 24.0 min)
#0 Jermaine Harris, F, 6-8, 220, Fr. (4.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 19.0 min)
#10 Cyril Langevine, F, 6-8, 225, Jr. (8.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.0 apg, 23.0 min)

AMONG NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS
The Cougars currently rank No. 30 among NCAA Division I statistical leaders in turnovers per game (9.5 avg.), No. 33 in personal fouls per game (15.0) and No. 56 in blocked shots per game (6.0). Individually, Grant Riller ranks No. 15 in the country and leads the CAA in points per game (27.5 ppg). Jarrell Brantley also ranks No. 38 in rebounds (11.5 rpg) and No. 29 in blocked shots per game (3.0 bpg). He made a career-and season-high tying three blocks at Western Carolina on Nov. 10.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Rhode Island leads 3-0 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Last year, the Cougars made their first visit (L, 62-68) to the Ryan Center on Dec. 16, 2017 in Kingston, R.I. Each of the three contests in the series have been decided in single digits including a 62-58 overtime loss to the Rams in the 1996 NIT Second Round held on March 19, 1996 at the Providence Civic Center. CofC and URI also met in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer (L, 66-75) on Nov. 19, 2010 in Toledo, Ohio. This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools in Charleston.

LAST THREE GAMES IN SERIES
L, 62-68 on 12/16/17 in Kingston, R.I.
L, 66-75 on 11/19/10 in Toledo, Ohio
L, 58-62 (OT) on 3/19/96 in South Kingston, R.I.

CHARLESTON TWO-HEADED MONSTER
One of the best scoring duos in the country and in the CAA, Grant Riller (27.5 ppg) and Jarrell Brantley (16.5 ppg) make for an explosive two-headed monster for opponents combining for 55.2 percent of the team's scoring in just the first two games played this season. If it's not one with 20+ points, it's the other. Last year, the duo combined for 40+ points on 10 occasions.

2018-19 Season (40+ Combined)
46 – Grant Riller (27 points) and Jarrell Brantley (19 points) vs. Presbyterian College on 11/6/18
42 – Grant Riller (28 points) and Jarrell Brantley (14 points) at Western Carolina on 11/10/18

2017-18 (40+ Combined)
56 – Grant Riller (37 points) and Jarrell Brantley (19 points) vs. William & Mary on 2/8/18
52 – Grant Riller (37 points) and Jarrell Brantley (29 points) vs. William & Mary on 2/8/18
52 – Grant Riller (32 points) and Jarrell Brantley (20 points) at James Madison on 2/15/18
51 – Grant Riller (28 points) and Jarrell Brantley (23 points) at UNCW on 2/17/18
47 – Grant Riller (24 points) and Jarrell Brantley (23 points) at Hofstra on 2/3/18
46 – Jarrell Brantley (30 points) and Grant Riller (16 points) vs. Drexel on 2/10/18
44 – Jarrell Brantley (26 points) and Grant Riller (18 points) vs. Delaware on 1/2/18
40 – Jarrell Brantley (24 points) and Grant Riller (16 points) vs. Auburn on 3/16/18
40 – Jarrell Brantley (22 points) and Grant Riller (18 points) at Towson on 1/7/18
40 – Jarrell Brantley (24 points) and Grant Riller (16 points) vs. Towson on 12/30/17

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
CofC currently boasts the second-longest active home winning streak (17 wins) in the country after going an undefeated 14-0 at TD Arena in 2017-18. Only South Dakota State (23) has a longer home-court winning streak in NCAA Division I. Others included on that elite list: Houston (16), Montana (16), Utah Valley (15), Buffalo (13) and Nebraska (13).

WESTERN CAROLINA RECAP
College of Charleston 77, Western Carolina 74
• For the second-straight game, College of Charleston started Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• With the win, the Cougars have now won seven-straight in the 30-game all-time series with former Southern Conference rival Western Carolina. Seven of the last eight contests between the two schools have been decided by single digits.
• Grant Riller has now turned in back-to-back games with 20+ points. He registered a game-and season-high 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field at Western Carolina.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded a near double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds at Western Carolina. He also turned in his second-straight game with three blocked shots including one on the last play with seconds left on the clock in regulation.
• Brevin Galloway made his second career start and poured in a career-high 17 points versus the Catamounts.
• Jaylen Richard came off the bench and contributed five points including two big plays (first career 3-pointer and a layup) in the second half to help CofC regain the lead with 6:46 to go.
• The Cougars scored 40 of their 77 points in the paint against Western Carolina.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"They (Rhode Island) are a great team and great program. They made the NCAA Tournament last year and advanced. Last year, we played in a tough and hostile environment at Rhode Island. They have some returners back from last year and didn't lose a lot. It will be an amazing challenge for us. They won the A-10 (Regular-Season) Championship, so they are used to winning, too. It should be a high-level game." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on the rematch with Rhode Island

"It was the first road game for us. Western Carolina swung a good ax. They really played good basketball. They made some shots and made us pay on every breakdown. We talked about those breakdowns and addressed them this week. They are very correctable. I'm just really happy our guys were able to show enough fortitude, in a tough situation, to find a way to win. We didn't panic. We showed some poise. They made plays to win the game. Now, we have a big opportunity tomorrow." – Grant on getting a road game under the team's belt and battling back in the second half at WCU

"For the young guys including myself, it means a lot to be able to get that win on the road. It shows the fight we have. We were tested and started the game kind of slow. But as far as the effort goes, we played hard. Everyone put in good effort to get a win on the road." – Sophomore Guard Brevin Galloway on getting a road win at Western Carolina

"I've been patient the last two years. I redshirted my first year and I sat out last year (with a hamstring injury) behind Joe (Chealey) and Cam (Johnson). I am happy to be in this position. I can't wait to show everyone what I can do." – Galloway on having a break-out game at Western Carolina with a career-high 17 points

"Every game, we are trying to go out there and make a statement. I'm excited and I know we will have a big crowd. Last year, we did not have a full team when we played at Rhode Island. It was a close game. We are definitely ready to play tomorrow night." – Galloway on the rematch with Rhode Island on Tuesday