Cougars To Be Tested On The Road In Three Of Its Last Four Beginning With JMU

Thursday, February 15

Harrisonburg, Va.

7:00 PM

College of Charleston

James Madison

Cougars To Be Tested On The Road In Three Of Its Last Four Beginning With JMU

2/14/2018 6:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

James Madison Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (20-6, 11-3 CAA) vs. JAMES MADISON (8-18, 4-9 CAA)
Game #27
February 15, 2018 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
JMU Convocation Center (6,426)
at Harrisonburg, Va.

Television: None
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM)
Series History: CofC Leads 7-4
Last Meeting: CofC def. James Madison, 66-59, on Jan. 27, 2018 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Free Live Statistics at www.JMUStats.com
Live Video: Free Live Video at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/jmu/
Tickets: www.JMUSports.com
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fourth Year at CofC: 71-54
Fourth Year Overall: 71-54
James Madison: Louis Rowe
2nd Year at JMU: 18-41
2nd Year Overall: 18-41

TELEVISION (None)

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

GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (20-6, 11-3 CAA) will play three of its next four contests on the road beginning with James Madison (8-18, 4-9 CAA) on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Harrisonburg, Va., and followed up by UNCW (8-18, 5-9 CAA) on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. (ET) in Wilmington, N.C. The Cougars are on a league-best eight-game win streak which is currently tied as the 10th longest in NCAA Division I with Xavier and Rider. CofC has won its last three-consecutive road games at Delaware, Northeastern and Hofstra, while JMU has won four-straight home games versus Elon (OT), Drexel, Towson and UNCW. Sophomore guard Grant Riller is the reigning CAA Co-Player of the Week after dropping a career-high 37 points against William & Mary (82-77) on Feb. 8, while preseason All-CAA First Team selection Jarrell Brantley knocked down a career-high 30 in a 22-point victory over Drexel (89-67) on Feb. 10. Last season, the preseason CAA favorite Cougars finished out the regular-season strong with a four-game win streak in their last four games at Hofstra, at Northeastern, versus Delaware and Drexel. They are looking to do the same this year with JMU, UNCW, Elon and W&M remaining on their slate. CofC is ranked No. 10 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and No. 69 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings under fourth-year head coach Earl Grant.

CURRENT NCAA DIVISION I LONGEST WIN STREAK
1T. Cincinnati - 16
1T. Rhode Island - 16
3. Vermont - 14
4T. Montana - 13
4T. Florida Gulf Coast - 13
6. New Mexico State - 11
7. Grambling State - 10
8T. Michigan State - 9
8T. Savannah State - 9
10T. College of Charleston - 8
10T. Xavier - 8
10T. Rider - 8

SCOUTING JAMES MADISON
The Dukes will play three contests in the course of five shorts days including a rescheduled game with UNCW (62-61) on Feb. 13. Each of their last six games have been decided in single digits making them a dangerous CAA team at home and on the road this season. Redshirt junior guard Stuckey Mosley leads the team in the scoring column averaging 19.4 points per game. JMU currently leads the league and is ranked No. 58 in the country in steals per game (7.4 avg.).

WHAT 2 WATCH 4
Senior floor general Joe Chealey is eight assists away from recording his third-straight 100+ assist season, while junior big man Nick Harris is three shy of 100 career blocks. Harris has recorded 507 career points, 510 career rebounds and 97 career blocked shots to date. He could become only the seventh player in program history to record 100 blocks in a career in CofC's NCAA Division I era (since 1991-92). He also could become one of only six all-time players to reach 500 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career next to former greats Jody Lumpkin, Thaddeous Delaney, Jeremy Simmons, Adjehi Baru and Antwaine Wiggins.

COFC ALL-TIME CAREER BLOCKS LIST (NCAA Division I Era)
1. Jody Lumpkin (1997-01) - 238
2. Mike Benton (1999-04) - 224
3. Thaddeous Delaney (1993-97) - 203
4. Jeremy Simmons (2007-11) - 139
5. Adjehi Baru (2011-15) - 126
6. Antwaine Wiggins (2007-12) - 122
7T. Nick Harris (2015-Present) - 97
7T. Chris Jackson (1989-93) - 97
9. Dustin Scott (2007-09) - 89
10. Rodney Conner (1992-97) - 88
11. Trent Wiedeman (2010-13) - 78

COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2017-18 season on ESPN Radio 910 AM 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 JMU Convocation Center on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#13 Joe Chealey, G, 6-4, 190, Sr. (18.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 35.5 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 195, So. (16.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 32.3 min)
#12 Cameron Johnson, G, 6-4, 200, Sr. (8.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 32.4 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 250, Jr. (17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg, 30.7 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 260, Jr. (6.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.4 apg, 26.4 min)

PROJECTED JAMES MADISON STARTERS
#3 Stuckey Mosley, G, 6-3, 190, RS-Jr. (19.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 35.4 min)
#1 Matt Lewis, G, 6-5, 180, Fr. (13.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 30.8 min)
#5 Darius Banks, G, 6-5, 225, Fr. (9.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 28.2 min)
#23 Ramone Snowden, F, 6-6, 230, RS-Sr. (6.5 rpg, 4.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 29.8 min)
#12 DeVelle Phillips, F, 6-9, 210, Jr. (9.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 23.5 min)

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
College of Charleston set a new school record for fewest turnovers in a single game with 16 assists and just one turnover versus Drexel on Feb. 10 at TD Arena. From preliminary research, no other NCAA Division I school has reported zero turnovers in a single game in the shot clock era. Therefore, the Cougars could have tied the 2015 NCAA Runner-Up Wisconsin squad, 2018 Davidson squad and 2008 Wisconsin squad for the NCAA single-game record for fewest turnovers in the shot clock era.

POSSIBLE NCAA SINGLE-GAME RECORD FOR FEWEST TURNOVERS
College of Charleston vs. Drexel (2/10/18) – 16 assists and 1 turnover
Davidson vs. Charleston Southern (11/10/17) – 29 assists and 1 turnover
Wisconsin vs. Iowa (1/20/15) – 16 assists and 1 turnover
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (2/28/08) – 12 assists and 1 turnover

INSIDE THE SERIES
College of Charleston leads 7-4 in the all-time series with James Madison. Last season, the Cougars won all three meetings with the Dukes including a 67-62 win in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament on March 4, 2017 at the North Charleston Coliseum. Six of the last seven meetings between the two schools have been decided in single digits. The Cougars own a four-game win streak in the series including a two-point road win last season (53-51) at the JMU Convocation Center.

LAST 10 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 66-59 (+7) on Jan. 27, 2018 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 67-62 (+5) on March 4, 2017 in North Charleston, S.C.^
W, 73-60 (+13) on Jan. 21, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 53-51 (+2) on Jan. 12, 2017 in Harrisonburg, Va.
L, 52-56 (-4) on Feb. 11, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 65-62 (+3) on Dec. 31, 2015 in Harrisonburg, Va.
L, 61-68 (-7) on Feb. 22, 2015 in Harrisonburg, Va.
L, 50-61 (-11) on Jan. 5, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 56-58 (-2) on Jan. 25, 2014 in Harrisonburg, Va.
W, 75-61 (+14) on Jan. 7, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
^ CAA Tournament

DREEXL RECAP
College of Charleston 89, Drexel 67
• For the 14th CAA game in a row, the College of Charleston went with the starting lineup of Joe Chealey, Grant Riller, Cameron Johnson, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris.
• With the win, College of Charleston split the regular-season series with Drexel and avenged an 87-82 overtime loss to the Dragons in Philadelphia earlier this season. The Cougars take an 8-5 lead in the all-time series.
• The Cougars remain an undefeated 13-0 at TD Arena this season and have won 15-straight home games since the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
• CofC has now turned in back-to-back 20-win seasons under head coach Earl Grant. It marked the program's 18th all-time 20-win campaign since becoming a NCAA Division I member in 1991-92.
• Jarrell Brantley became the third CofC Basketball player to score 30-or-more points in a single game this season with a career-and game-high 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field and perfection from three-point range (4-for-4) and the free throw line (2-for-2) versus Drexel. He joined the 30-Point Club with Grant Riller (37 points vs. William & Mary) and Joe Chealey (33 vs. Hofstra). Brantley has now tabulated 1,136 career points to date which ranks 30th all-time in the school record books.
• For the eighth time this season, Nick Harris scored in double figures with a career-high 21 points including 12 in the first half alone versus Drexel. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
• Grant Riller extended his double-digit scoring streak to four games with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field against Drexel.
• Jaylen McManus came off the bench and tied a season-high with six rebounds in 21 minutes of action versus Drexel.
• Reserve Samba Ndiaye recorded a career-high four points and added three rebounds in nine minutes of play for the Cougars.
• CofC has now scored 80-or-more points in the last three-straight games against Hofstra (86 points), William & Mary (82 points) and Drexel (89 points). It marked the Cougars' third-highest scoring output of the season (89 points) and most versus a league foe.
• The Cougars dished out 16 assists with just one turnover in the ballgame versus Drexel. It marked a new school record for fewest turnovers in a single game which was previously three turnovers at Wofford on Jan. 3, 2000. Between 2000-18, the previous low was four turnovers twice in 2009-10 and twice in 2010-11.
• CofC defeated Drexel by a 22-point margin of victory which was its second-largest of the season behind a 32-point victory over NCAA Division II North Greenville on Dec. 10.
• The CofC defense held Drexel, who came into the game averaging 74.8 points per game, to just 67 points.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"That's important. The players win the games and we have good players. But more importantly than that, they buy into what we are trying to do and they are very unselfish. I'm not sure who is going to score every night. I know we have talent and guys that can make shots. The beautiful thing is, I don't think our players care. They share the ball and try to do it by committee. We happen to have a lot of talented guys." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on having players who can score 30 points a night to spark the team's offense when the Cougars are playing great defense

"We found out on Sunday we were going to play the JMU game. It was business as usual. We were able to stay with our same (Thursday-Saturday) routine. It will be a hard game. The last time we played them, it was really tough. The game was tied at the half, 30-30. Even though they are young, they have many talented players. They changed their defenses up and it bothered us. In the second half, we made a three with about two minutes to go to go up four. Every time we have played them, it's a battle. We just have to understand that a battle is good, but we have to be prepared for a hard fight on Thursday night." – Coach Grant on prepping for James Madison in both teams' second meeting

"We are excited to play. No added pressure. We just need to stick with our preparation and keep on doing what we are currently doing to continue to win. They (JMU) just played a game. They will be ready, especially at their house. Yes, we are getting wins, but we can definitely play a lot better. We hit the film room (after the William & Mary and Drexel games) and there are still a lot of mistakes we can correct. We are not the best we can be, but we are in pretty good shape. We are improving every day and it's a slow and methodical process." – Senior Guard Cameron Johnson on the Cougars' current win streak and playing JMU on the road