WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – Grant Riller scored a game-high 31 points as defending conference champion College of Charleston defeated UNCW, 73-66, in both teams' Colonial Athletic Association opener on Saturday night at Trask Coliseum.
 
Riller made 4-of-5 three-pointers and went 9-for-9 from the free throw line for the Cougars (12-2), who have now won nine straight after losses to Oklahoma State and LSU. Brevin Galloway and Jarrell Brantley scored 14 each.
 
Charleston's win overshadowed a 27-point, 19-rebound game for UNCW's Devontae Cacok. The Seahawks (4-10) cut CofC's lead to 67-66 with 2:07 remaining after back-to-back layups by Cacok and Shawn O'Connell.
 
Brantley answered with an offensive rebound and putback and a 3-point lead with 1:36 left.
 
UNCW committed turnovers on its next two possessions and the Seahawks were forced to foul with 21 seconds remaining, still trailing by three.
 
Marquise Pointer made two free throws for the Cougars, Kai Toews missed a 3-pointer for UNCW and Jaylen McManus made two free throws to close the scoring. Toews had 14 assists and 12 points for the Seahawks.
 
Riller scored 21 points in the first half, making 6-of-9 from the field including all three of his 3-point attempts. The Cougars led 37-29 at halftime.
 
The Cougars will continue its three-game conference-opening road stretch next week at Towson on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Towson, Md., and James Madison on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 4 p.m. (ET) in Harrisonburg, Va.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• College of Charleston used the starting lineup of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris (12-2).
• With the win, College of Charleston took a one-game lead in the all-time series with UNCW, 14-13. The Cougars have now won three-straight games in the series including last year's sweep of the Seahawks. It marked only the program's fifth-ever win on the road at Trask Coliseum. It was the seventh time in the last eight contests between the two schools that the game was decided in single digits (+7).
• Grant Riller recorded his fourth 30-point game this season and ninth of his career with a game-high 31 points at UNCW. He drained four three-pointers and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Riller moved into the Top 15 on the all-time career scorers list and has now tabulated 1,391 career points to date.
• Jarrell Brantley registered 14 points and eight rebounds at UNCW. He also led the team with three assists. Brantley has now tabulated 1,555 career points and 807 career rebounds to date. He became only the fifth player ever to record 1,500 points and 800 rebounds in a career in school history next to all-time greats Ken Gustafson, Thaddeous Delaney, Greg Mack and Sam Meade.
• Brevin Galloway turned in his seventh career double-figure scoring game with 14 points at UNCW. He also drained four three-pointers against the Seahawks.
• The Cougars shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-21) against the Seahawks which was their second-best three-point shooting percentage this season.
• CofC improves to 5-1 all-time in CAA openers since joining the league in July of 2013.
• Charleston extended its win streak to nine-straight games, which is currently tied as the sixth longest in the nation with Toledo.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"I was proud of our players just for persevering and finding a way to win. Certainly, Wilmington did some good things tonight and made some good shots. (Devontae) Cacok was a load. I thought we did a good job of staying poised when they (UNCW) made a run. We executed our game plan pretty well – guarding without fouling and trying to take away transition. I'm really proud of our players showing some character in a tough environment. Tonight was a good win for us against a good team that we played on their home court."
 
On Grant Riller's play …
"In the first half, it just happened to work that way. We called some set plays for Grant (Riller). Some of it came out of motion and he found some cracks and lanes to drive it. He made some plays and shot the ball well from three. Anytime you can have a guy make shots from the perimeter, the defense has to come out closer to guard him. He's really tough to deal with when driving the ball from the perimeter."  
 
College of Charleston Junior Guard Grant Riller
On his hot start and setting the tone for the team …
"Just being aggressive. I usually get harder shots as far as three-pointers. They cheated a couple of screens. I got open a little bit. Once I hit one, my confidence became higher."
 
On the rivalry with UNCW and close battles over the years …
"Even though they (UNCW) were 4-9, they have played some good teams (North Carolina and Furman). They haven't played at home that much, but they are still very talented and are well coached. The rivalry goes back before I even got here. Once I got here, we played them in the championship (game) and in a lot of tough games. It's a good rivalry game every time we play them."