CHARLESTON, S.C. – Grant Riller scored 18 points as College of Charleston heads into the holidays with a 73-61 non-conference victory over South Carolina State on Saturday night at TD Arena.
 
Jaylen McManus was also in double figures for the Cougars (6-6) with 13 points. The win ended a two-game skid after close losses to Richmond and No. 25-ranked VCU.
 
Charleston led 44-31 at halftime and all 11 players who checked into the game contribute in the scoring column including Sam Miller (9), Jaylen Richard (7) and Osinachi Smart (7).
 
The Cougars led by as many as 21 points after a Miller dunk, 59-38, with 12:37 remaining in regulation.
 
South Carolina State's leading scorer and rebounder Damani Applewhite had 19 points for the Bulldogs (4-7) in their sixth-straight road loss of the season.
 
The Cougars will take a few days off and open up conference play after the holiday break at Drexel on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. (ET) in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the second time this season, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jaylen McManus and Sam Miller (1-1).
• With the win, College of Charleston has now won eight-straight meetings in the all-time series with South Carolina State.
• Grant Riller extended his double-digit scoring streak to 40-consecutive games with a team-high 18 points against South Carolina State. He also led the team with four assists.
• Jaylen McManus has now scored in double figures twice in the last four games including 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field versus South Carolina State.
• CofC also made a season-high five blocked shots in the South Carolina game behind a career-high tying two stops from Osinachi Smart.
• The Cougars dished out a season-high tying 14 assists against the Bulldogs which tied 14 at UCF on Nov. 23.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"We played a really challenging non-conference schedule. We were just happy we were able to come out tonight and play at a high level for 34 minutes. At the end of the game, I put a lot of freshmen in. It was the only opportunity to get them playing time at the same time. I'm happy for our guys and really excited that we were able to finish strong. We are looking forward to getting a break and getting ready for a completely new season where everyone is undefeated."
 
On a tough non-conference …
"I'm glad we've been able to experience what we have experienced over the last 45 days. It's been a grind. We played against a lot of really good teams and great coaches. We came up short multiple times. Hopefully, it will help us in this next phase of the season."
 
College of Charleston Senior Forward Sam Miller
On the non-conference …
"We played a really hard schedule. We knew it was going be hard. We have been trying to focus on getting better and better every game. Over the past couple, I think we've done that, especially against our last two opponents. VCU was a Top 25 team and we played them to the wire. Coach Grant says he likes where we are, before conference play, and I agree with him."
 
On the team's strengths …
"As a team, we are getting better moving the ball and making simpler passes for shots. I think we can continue to do better. Defense is still a strength of ours."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Jaylen Richard
On everyone contributing in tonight's game with 14 assists …
"We don't have any selfish players on the team. We're young, so sometimes we don't make the extra pass. Today we were looking for it. That's why everyone was on the board."