Big Week Ahead For Cougars On CAA Northern Trek

Thursday, January 17

Boston, Mass.

7:00 PM

College of Charleston

Northeastern

1/16/2019 6:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Northeastern Game Notes

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (14-4, 3-2 CAA) vs. NORTHEASTERN (9-8, 3-2 CAA)
Game #19
January 17, 2019 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Matthews Arena (5,066)
at Boston, Mass.

Television: NESNPlus
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: CofC Leads 6-5
Last Meeting: CofC def. Northeastern, 83-76 (OT), in CAA Championship Game on March 6, 2018 in North Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Live Statistics at www.GoNUStats.com
Live Video: Live Video at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/northeastern/
Twitter: @CofCBasketball

THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Fifth Year at CofC: 91-60
Fifth Year Overall: 91-60
Northeastern: Bill Coen
13th Year at NU: 210-194
13th Year Overall: 210-194

TELEVISION (NESNPlus)
Play-By-Play: Bill Spaulding
Color Analyst: Patrick McHugh
Sideline Reporter: Alex Vispoli

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

GAME PREVIEW
One of the biggest weeks in Colonial Athletic Association play is ahead for the defending champion College of Charleston men's basketball team (14-4, 3-2 CAA) as it treks North to preseason favorite Northeastern (9-8, 3-2 CAA) for a highly-anticipated rematch on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. (ET) at historic Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass. It's been 317 days since both teams last faced off in the CAA Championship Game at the North Charleston Coliseum. Who could forget? The Cougars made a 17-point comeback in the second half and prevailed in a climactic 83-76 overtime thriller to punch their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time since 1999. Expect nothing less from the two teams picked No. 1 and No. 2 by the league's head coaches and media prior to the season. The conference's top defensive ballclub, CofC is currently holding opponents to 66.8 points per game, while NU is shooting a league-best 48.6 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from long range. The Cougars and Huskies are currently tied for third place in the latest conference standings behind unbeaten Hofstra and Delaware. Thursday's contest will be the first of two back-to-back road challenges for Charleston with Hofstra up next on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. (ET) in Hempstead, N.Y. Junior guard Grant Riller got the team back on the winning track as he poured in 21 points in a 71-58 victory over Delaware on Jan. 12 at TD Arena. Senior forward Jarrell Brantley also added a double-double performance with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He is currently on a career-best, single-season 18-game double-digit scoring streak.

A LOOK AT NORTHEASTERN
Northeastern had several key players injured in the non-conference portion of its season that still included a signature win over Alabama out of the SEC in the ESPN Charleston Classic. The Huskies return home this week from a two-game road swing sweep of Elon (81-70) in overtime on Jan. 10 and at William & Mary (90-70) on Jan. 12. They have three players currently averaging double figures in scoring in preseason All-CAA First Team selection Vasa Pusica (15.5 ppg), Jordan Roland (15.1 ppg) and Donnell Gresham (10.8 ppg). Roland is one of the top 3-point shooters in the country hitting on 43.4 percent of shots from beyond the arc this season, which ranks No. 39 nationally.

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 Matthews Arena on the College of Charleston Radio Network.

PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#21 Marquise Pointer, G, 6-0, 210, Sr. (3.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 19.7 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Jr. (21.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.3 apg, 35.7 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, So. (8.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 26.6 min)
#5 Jarrell Brantley, F, 6-7, 255, Sr. (19.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 33.8 min)
#23 Nick Harris, F, 6-10, 270, Sr. (3.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.2 apg, 20.5 min)

PROJECTED NORTHEASTERN STARTERS
#4 Vasa Pusica, G, 6-5, 210, RS-Sr. (15.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.6 apg, 33.7 min)
#22 Donnell Gresham, G, 6-1, 203, RS-Jr. (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 34.5 min)
#1 Shawn Occeus, G/F, 6-4, 208, Jr. (8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 26.3 min)
#20 Bolden Brace, G/F, 6-6, 225, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 30.0 min)
#30 Anthony Green, F, 6-10, 252, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.4 apg, 22.1 min)

SERIES NOTES
College of Charleston holds a one-game advantage in the all-time series versus Northeastern. The Cougars lead 6-5 in the 11 all-time meetings between both schools – all since joining the CAA in 2013. They are currently on a four-game win streak in the series having won all three games with the Huskies during the 2017-18 season. CofC is 3-2 lifetime when playing at Matthews Arena.

LAST 10 GAMES IN THE SERIES
W, 83-76 (+7) on March 6, 2018 in North Charleston, S.C.^
W, 69-64 (+5) on Feb. 1, 2018 in Boston, Mass.
W, 82-66 (+16) on Jan. 11, 2018 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 85-71 (+14) on Feb. 18, 2017 in Boston, Mass.
L, 72-73 (-1) on Feb. 9, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 57-58 (-1) on Feb. 25, 2016 in Boston, Mass.
W, 68-61 (+7) on Jan. 28, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 56-65 (-9) on Feb. 28, 2015 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 67-69 (-2) on Jan. 17, 2015 in Boston, Mass.
L, 44-60 (-16) on Feb. 15, 2014 in Charleston, S.C.
^ CAA Tournament

DELAWARE RECAP
College of Charleston 71, Delaware 58
• For the fourth-straight conference game, College of Charleston started Marquise Pointer, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jarrell Brantley and Nick Harris (2-2).
• With the win, College of Charleston extended its win streak to six games in the all-time series with Delaware. The Cougars now take a 9-5 lead in the series and have won the last four-straight meetings between to the two schools at TD Arena.
• Grant Riller recorded his 12th game this season with 20-or-more points with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting versus Delaware. He moved into 12th all-time on CofC's career scoring list surpassing former great Steven Johnson (1984-88). Riller has now tabulated 1,467 career points to date.
• Jarrell Brantley turned in his fifth double-double of the season and 28th of his career with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds against Delaware. He moved past former great Willis Hall (2009-14) on CofC's career rebound list. He has now tabulated 1,621 career points and 834 career rebounds to date.
• The Cougars have now shot better than 50 percent from the field in back-to-back games: Drexel (55.4%) and Delaware (51.0%).
• The CofC defense held Delaware to 58 points – the fifth opponent this season to be held in the 50s. It was the Blue Hens' second-lowest scoring output of the season. They also forced UD to commit 14 turnovers to which they converted into 18 points.
• A season-high crowd of 4,320 fans attended the Delaware game at TD Arena. The Cougars are now 115-44 (.723) all-time in their home venue since it opened in 2008.

COUGAR SOUND BITES
"It's an 18-game race and we've played five games. These are the next games on the schedule. The most important thing is for us to get better in practice and continue to make improvements. We did take a step in the right direction on Saturday with our game against Delaware and the practice we had yesterday. Both of these teams are very good. They have good coaches and have some of the better players in the league. Every year, we have played them, it's been a battle. All of these teams are fighting for something. Right now, it's important that we put together the best plan and go and try to execute that plan." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on this tough week ahead at Northeastern and Hofstra

"We looked more like Charleston Basketball. We guarded at a high level. We made things hard. We didn't give up easy baskets. We had the right spirit on the court. Our huddles were better. Our guys were flying around. We were rattier and grittier. They scored 50+ points and we gave up a few baskets late. That's us. We've done that several times this year, but haven't done it consistently enough. That's the biggest thing – us getting back to our true identity." – Coach Grant on getting the team back in the right direction with a solid 40 minutes of defense in the Delaware win

"It's still early in the season. Just being on the road, it will be a tough game. Every game you get a chance to play, you get to show what you are capable of. It's another opportunity for us. We just have to stick to the game plan and play hard." – Junior Guard Grant Riller on bouncing back from back-to-back losses with the Delaware win heading into a big week on the road

"It gave us an idea of how hard you have to play on the road. We know it's never easy to play on the road. We know playing two teams like this (in Northeastern and Hofstra), we know it's going to be tough, so we really have to lock in. This is the biggest road trip we've got, not only because they are both so talented, because they have great crowds and we know how it is in their building." – Riller on last year's tough road battles at Northeastern and Hofstra

"They move laterally very well. They are little bit shorter than other guards. Their speed helps them in that category. They have very active hands. They are just pests all over the place. It's hard to deal with that for 40 minutes." – Riller on Marquise Pointer's and Zep Jasper's defense