Cougars Embark On Two-Game Road Swing Beginning With VCU

Saturday, December 15

Richmond, Va.

4:00 PM

College of Charleston

VCU

Cougars Embark On Two-Game Road Swing Beginning With VCU

12/14/2018 3:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

VCU Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (8-2, 0-0 CAA) vs. VCU (7-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Game #11
December 15, 2018 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,637)
at Richmond, Va.

Television: NBC Sports Network
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: VCU Leads 4-1
Last Meeting: VCU def. CofC, 93-86, in the CBI Quarterfinals on March 22, 2010 in Richmond, Va.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.VCUAthletics.com
Live Video: Live Video at https://www.nbcsports.com/live
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fifth Year at CofC: 85-58
Fifth Year Overall: 85-58
VCU: Mike Rhoades
Second Year at VCU: 25-18
15th Year Overall: 269-146

TELEVISION
Play-By-Play: Terry Gannon
Color Analyst: Ron Thompson

RADIO (College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German

GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (8-2) embarks on a tough two-game road swing beginning with VCU (7-3) on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. (ET) in Richmond, Va. The game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network. The Cougars are currently on a five-game win streak – one of only 27 NCAA Division I schools currently with five-or-more wins in a row. They recently beat NCAA Division II Georgia College (W, 87-69) post-final exams to keep their home-court win streak intact at 21 games and counting. CofC is 1-1 in true road games this season and will play in one of the toughest environments this weekend at VCU. This season, the Rams are averaging 7,637 fans per game resulting in a perfect 5-0 record on their home court at the Siegel Center. Senior forward Jarrell Brantley led the Cougars in their last outing with a double-double performance – 25 points and 12 rebounds versus Georgia College, while junior guard Grant Riller knocked down 23 points. Riller is one of the nation's top scorers averaging a team-leading 21.9 points per game which ranks 27th nationally. Saturday's non-conference game is part of a home-and-home series with VCU with a return game scheduled for the 2019-20 season at TD Arena. It will be a battle between two of the nation's top defensive ballclubs as VCU is holding opponents to 61.1 points per game (No. 20) and CofC 66.8 (No. 71). The Cougars will remain on the road with a Dec. 18 tilt scheduled at Siena in Albany, N.Y.

VCU AT-A-GLANCE
VCU was previously members of the Colonial Athletic Association, before joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2012-13. CofC joined the league in July of 2013. The Rams have won two of their last three contests including a marquee 54-53 road win over a Power 5 Conference opponent at Texas on Dec. 5. They have sold-out their home venue 122-consecutive times to date with a 102-20 (.836) winning percentage during their current streak. Five of VCU's last seven games have been decided in single digits including a one-point loss to St. John's (86-87) in overtime at the Legends Classic on Nov. 20 and a two-point victory over CAA rival Hofstra (69-67) in overtime on Nov. 24. The Rams are also holding opponents to 35.9 percent shooting from the field this season.

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 the Siegel Center on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 170, RS-Fr. (6.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 28.1 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Jr. (21.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.7 apg, 36.2 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, So. (10.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 28.0 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 255, Sr. (19.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 33.8 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 270, Sr. (2.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.2 apg, 20.4 min)

PROJECTED VCU STARTERS
#0 De'Riante Jenkins, G, 6-5, 195, Jr. (9.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 28.3 min)
#2 Marcus Evans, G, 6-2, 190, RS-Jr. (13.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 23.8 min)
#23 Isaac Vann, G/F, 6-6, 210, RS-Jr. (11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 29.6 min)
#4 Corey Douglas, F, 6-8, 215, RS-So. (3.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 19.5 min)
#14 Marcus Santos-Silva, F, 6-7, 250, So. (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.6 apg, 22.9 min)

INSIDE THE SERIES
VCU leads 4-1 in the all-time series with College of Charleston. Both teams last met in the CBI Quarterfinals in 2010 (L, 86-93) played at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. The Rams have won three in a row in the series. CofC's only win in the series was an 85-75 victory at home on Feb. 19, 2005 at the old John Kresse Arena.

LAST FIVE GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 86-93 (-7) on March 22, 2010 in Richmond, Va.
L, 59-71 (-12) on Nov. 18, 2006 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
L, 71-76 (-5) on Dec. 17, 2005 in Richmond, Va.
W, 85-75 (+10) on Feb. 19, 2005 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 83-142 (-59) on Nov. 28, 1969 in Richmond, Va.

COUGARS OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2011-12
The Cougars are off to their best start to the season (first 10 games) since going 9-1 in 2011-12 under former head coach Bobby Cremins. The team's only two losses of the season have been against Oklahoma State and then No. 19-ranked LSU. CofC is one of only 74 schools in NCAA Division I with two-or-less losses on the year.

"We are 8-2 and have some good, quality wins. We are moving the program in the right direction. Whether you win or lose, you just want to play well. If we play well, execute, stick together, take care of the ball and play to our standards, then we can live with any result. We believe when we play to our standards, we win most games. That is our focus." – Coach Grant

FIRST 10 GAMES OF THE SEASON IN EARL GRANT ERA
2018-19: 8-2
2017-18: 7-3
2016-17: 7-3
2015-16: 7-3
2014-15: 5-5

ONE-TWO SCORING PUNCH
For the second-straight year, the College of Charleston boasts one of the top scoring duos in the country in Grant Riller and Jarrell Brantley. Both are preseason All-CAA First Team selections and averaging 21.9 points and 19.6 points respectively this season. They are tied for fifth-most in the nation with RJ Cole and Charles Williams of Howard with a combined average of 41.5 points per game.

Most Points Per Game by Teammate Duos In NCAA Division I - 2018-19 Season
(Played in 75% of Team Games; Top Duo On Each Team Only)
1. South Dakota State – 48.7 – Mike Daum (26.2) & David Jenkins Jr. (22.5)
2. Duke – 44.6 – RJ Barrett (24.2) & Zion Williamson (20.4)
3. Cal State Northridge – 42.9 – Lamine Diane (24.8) & Terrell Gomez (18.1)
4. Campbell – 41.7 – Chris Clemons (31.4) & Isaac Chatman (10.3)
5T. Howard – 41.5 – RJ Cole (21.4) & Charles Williams (20.1)
5T. College of Charleston – 41.5 – Grant Riller (21.9) & Jarrell Brantley (19.6)
7. Indiana State – 41.4 – Jordan Barnes (21.6) & Tyreke Key (19.8)
8. Hofstra – 41.0 – Justin Wright-Foreman (25.7) & Eli Pemberton (15.3)
9. Saint Joseph's – 40.4 – Charlie Brown (22.0) & Lamarr Kimble (18.4)
10. Detroit – 40.3 – Antoine Davis (27.4) & Josh McFolley (12.9)
11. Hampton – 40.2 – Jermaine Marrow (25.9) & Kalin Fisher (14.3)
12. BYU – 40.1 – Yoeli Childs (22.8) & TJ Haws (17.3)
13. Oakland – 40.0 – Xavier Hill-Mais (24.5) & Jaevin Cumberland (15.5)
14. Gonzaga – 39.8 – Rui Hachimura (22.2) & Zach Norvell Jr. (17.6)
15. Marshall – 39.3 – Jon Elmore (20.8) & C.J. Burks (18.5)

GEORGIA COLLEGE RECAP
College of Charleston 87, Georgia College 69
• For the 10th-straight game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris (8-2).
• With the win, CofC is now 1-0 in the all-time series with Georgia College. It was the first meeting between both schools and the second time Head Coach Earl Grant coached on the opposite sideline of his alma mater.
• Jarrell Brantley recorded a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds against Georgia College. It marked the 25th double-double of his career. He also made a career-high tying three blocked shots and extended his double-digit scoring streak to 10 games. Brantley moved into 11th all-time in career scoring with 1,470 points to date.
• Grant Riller registered 23 points and seven assists versus Georgia College. He is currently on a five-game double-digit scoring streak. Riller moved into 19th all-time in career scoring with 1,291 points to date.
• For the first time this season, the Cougars had two 20-point game scorers in a single game with Brantley (25 points) and Riller (23 points).
• Nick Harris turned in a season-high 11 points including a 7-for-9 performance from the free throw line against Georgia College.
• Brevin Galloway recorded the fifth double-figure scoring game of his career with 10 points and a career-high tying three steals versus Georgia College.
• Zep Jasper rounded out all of five starters scoring in double figures in the game with 11 points in 28 minutes of action against Georgia College. It marked his third double-digit game of his young career.
• CofC scored a season-high 87 points against Georgia College – its third 80+ point game this season versus an opponent.
• The Cougars made a season-high 19 assists, but also made a season-high 15 turnovers versus the Bobcats.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"We had a great week of practice and it was the first time for us to have three days to prepare for a game. This (VCU game) is one of three games left on our schedule to finish this 'first season' of non-conference play. We want to play well and continue to make strides. Offensively, we have been doing some good things in terms of our efficiency and sharing the ball. Defensively, we still have to sharpen some things. Defense travels. If you go on the road and try to have any success, you have to be really sharp defensively and play with a high-level of toughness. VCU is a great program. They have been good for awhile. It will be a good opportunity for us to go up and play them on their home court this weekend." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on having time to prepare for a big road game at VCU post-final exams

"We are more experienced now. The freshmen that we have been playing – they aren't freshmen anymore. We have figured out how to be more efficient offensively and defensively. We've made strides. The LSU game, we played really poor and didn't play well at all. Oklahoma State we played well in the first half. In the second half, we got away from our game plan with their athleticism and pressure. They made us do some uncharacteristic things. VCU is an athletic team and they try to press you a little bit. We have seen it before, now we just have to execute." – Coach Grant on playing another elite team like VCU after the experience playing other top teams in Oklahoma State and LSU earlier in the non-conference season

"Coach (Grant) is doing a good job of making sure that we are prepared. We have been battling every day in practice this week. VCU has been one of the best mid-major teams over the last 10 years. It's always good to play teams like them. When you have the opportunity to play one of those big teams, they are good tests for us, but at the same time, we are fighting to play in March. These teams are good tests to prepare us for teams that we will play against in March. You always try to protect your home court and try to go steal one on the road. Hopefully, we can play good enough to get a road win." – Senior Forward Jarrell Brantley on playing a team like VCU after the experience the team had on the road at Oklahoma State and in Orlando at the AdvoCare Invitational

"With what Coach (Grant) and the coaching staff have in store with who they are bringing in and recruiting and the stepping stones we have built so far, I definitely feel like we are not far behind." – Brantley on College of Charleston becoming a top mid-major program like VCU