CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Jarrell Brantley had 17 points to lead College of Charleston to its 18th-straight home court win, beating Rhode Island, 66-55, on Tuesday night at TD Arena.
 
Charleston avenged a 68-62 loss at Rhode Island last year for the Cougars' first-ever win over the Rams (1-1).
 
Four players scored in double figures as Grant Riller had 14 points while dishing out a career-high six assists, Brevin Galloway added 11 points and Zep Jasper chipped in 10.
 
Charleston (3-0) ran out to a 31-19 halftime advantage as Brantley scored in double figures for the third-straight time while recording eight boards.
 
Rhode Island mounted a comeback in the second half, closing to 54-49 after Ryan Preston tipped it in with 6:58 remaining in the game.
 
Brantley answered with a layup and split a pair of free throws. Riller and Galloway made five free throws in the final 71 seconds to secure Charleston's victory.
 
Cyril Langevine led Rhode Island with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Cougars next travel to Oklahoma State (0-1) for a Sunday, Nov. 18 tilt at 4 p.m. (ET) / 3 p.m. (CT) in Stillwater, Okla. The game will be televised regionally on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the third-straight game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• With the win, the Cougars pick up their first-ever win in the four-game series with Rhode Island which first began with a NIT Second Round meeting in 1996. CofC avenged a 68-62 road loss at URI last season.
• Jarrell Brantley extended his double-digit scoring streak to three games with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds versus Rhode Island. He has now tabulated 1,324 career points and 721 career rebounds to date which ranks 16th and ninth on the school's all-time lists respectively.
• Grant Riller extended his double-digit scoring streak to three games with 14 points against URI. He also dished out a career-high six assists.
• The Cougars outrebounded the Rams, 41-37, behind eight boards from Brantley, six from Nick Harris and five each from Jaylen McManus and Osinachi Smart off the bench.
• Brevin Galloway turned in back-to-back games in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting versus Rhode Island.
• Zep Jasper recorded his second career double-digit game with 10 points in 31 minutes of action against the Rams.
• The CofC defense held Rhode Island to an opponent season-low 55 points and 10.0 percent shooting from long range (2-for-20) including 0-for-13 in the first half of play.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"Our guys executed the game plan and really bought into what we needed to correct. We had two days to prepare. Obviously, they really paid attention to us making adjustments and making some corrections (from the Western Carolina game). We played with a lot of energy and passion. We had a great crowd and they helped us tonight. Offensively, we showed great poise, which we knew we needed to do, because Rhode Island is such a dangerous transition team. I'm proud of our guys and their efforts."
 
On the team's youth and growth …
"I'm learning a lot about our team in the last eight days. I learned at Western (Carolina) that I need to play Grant Riller at the point guard a little bit. I learned tonight that we are capable of defending at the level that we need to be successful – even though we have some youth and guys are trying to pick-up our principles. This is a growing team. We have to keep getting better everyday. That's the most important thing is to focus on the process of getting better."
 
College of Charleston Junior Guard Grant Riller
On what turned around for him in the second half …
"It just opened up a little more. I think in the first half making the right play was the best thing for me. I'm more than just a one-dimensional player as far as scoring. I believe I can help the team in a lot of ways. I think I showed that in the first half even though I only scored two points."
 
On Jarrell Brantley's play …
"We know he is a match-up problem. Every time in transition, if we can get him a quick post touch and in a half-court set to get him going, that's the best way for us to score."
 
On beating a good RPI team like Rhode Island …
"We knew it would be a dog fight. Atlantic 10. Good conference. Good team. Well coached. This was a big win for us, especially at home."
 
College of Charleston Senior Forward Jarrell Brantley
On missing last year's game and being able to play in this year's edition …
"This game was fun. It was definitely one of the games I wish I could've played in last year. It's a totally different team and different year. I'm just excited we got the win tonight."
 
On Grant Riller's versatility in the first half ...
"We all know that Grant is that high scorer and one of the best scorers to probably ever to play here. Tonight was one of the best games I've seen him play, because of the way he facilitated and created shots. He had six assists, a career high for him. That's amazing. That just shows how talented he is."