CHARLESTON, S.C. – Four players scored in double figures including a game-high 23 points from preseason Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Grant Riller as College of Charleston held off Georgia State, 84-80, in the final minutes of regulation on Saturday at TD Arena.
 
Trailing the Panthers, 77-74, the Cougars got a big 3-pointer from Jaylen McManus to tie the game up with 2:11 remaining.
 
Jaylen Richard later converted three of his four free throws in the final 25 minutes of the game to seal the victory and 2-0 start to the season for the Cougars.
 
Riller also went a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line including his last two with three seconds on the clock. He was joined in double digits by Brevin Galloway, who registered a career-high 19 points, and Richard and McManus each with 13.
 
The Panthers (1-1) trailed the majority of the contest up until late in the second half when the Cougars were called for fouls. Two free throws by Justin Roberts gave Georgia State a 68-66 lead with 8:31 on the clock. He would end the night with a team-high 22 points.
 
It was a first-time meeting between the two former Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) rivals since 2006. GSU capitalized on an uncharacteristic 16 turnovers by Charleston, which resulted in 14 of its points.
 
The Cougars close out their three-homestand with a rematch against Oklahoma State (2-0) on Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Tickets can be purchased by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the second-straight game, College of Charleston started the lineup of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jaylen McManus and Osinachi Smart (2-0).
• With the win, College of Charleston improved to 12-4 in the all-time series with Georgia State. The Cougars have now won 12-straight games in the series since the days both programs were members of the TAAC.
• Grant Riller registered a game-high 23 points including a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line against Georgia State. He has now scored in double figures in 30 consecutive games dating back to the 2018-19 season. Riller also added five assists, one blocked shot and four steals. He surpassed former CofC teammate Joe Chealey (1,827 career points from 2013-18) for fifth all-time on the school's career scoring list. Riller has tabulated 1,845 career points to date. It marked his 34th career 20-point outing.
• Brevin Galloway recorded a career-high 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field including a career-high tying five 3-points versus Georgia State. It marked his 15th career game to score in double figures and second of the season.
• Jaylen Richard came off the bench and scored a season-high 13 points in 28 minutes of action versus the Panthers. It marked his second-ever career game to score in double digits.
• Jaylen McManus turned in a season-high 13 points with two big 3-pointers for the Cougars against Georgia State. It was his sixth career game in double figures.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"I thought our guys did a great job of responded well to adversity. None of the things that happened in the game tonight was in my game plan. I didn't write it up. I couldn't prepare for a lot of the things that happened. Having Grant (Riller) move to the point guard position for 30 minutes of the game with Zep (Jasper) having a tweak there. It was hard to organize and continue to execute in those circumstances. Our players showed great spirit and grit tonight. They played the way I expect them to play when faced with adversity. I thought we responded and showed great character in the midst of it. I was really proud of the guys for finding a way to win against a really good team."
 
On the team's uncharacteristic turnovers against Georgia State …
"We have to continue to work on being sharper. Some of it was defensive rebounding. We have to be better on the glass. When we needed stops, we got the stops. Their ability to score was us having 16 turnovers. We gave them some points and we've been one of the Top 10 teams in the nation in ballcare the last five years here. It was out of character."
 
College of Charleston Junior Guard Brevin Galloway
On holding off Georgia State for the win …
"We knew it would be a be a dog fight with their (Georgia State) resume and making the NCAA Tournament the last two years. They are a gritty group. It brought us up to another level. I respect them a lot."
 
College of Charleston Senior Forward Jaylen McManus
On his big 3-pointer to tie the game …
"It's something I've been working on all four years since I've been here. I've been working on different shots off the three and move. It was a confident shot. I knew I could make it, so I took it."