Saturday, January 18
TD Arena
4:00 PM
College of Charleston
vs
Hofstra
Photo by: AlSamuels.com
Preseason Favorite Hofstra Next Challenge For Cougars
1/17/2020 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (11-8, 5-2 CAA) vs. HOFSTRA (14-5, 5-1 CAA)
Game #20
January 18, 2020 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
TD Arena/John Kresse Court (5,100)
at Charleston, S.C.
Television: FloSports
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: Series Tied 6-6
Last Meeting: Hofstra def. CofC, 99-95, on Feb. 14, 2019 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live On-Demand Video: FloSports Subscription at http://bit.ly/2JP6sGV
Tickets: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Sixth Year at CofC: 112-73
Sixth Year Overall: 112-73
Hofstra: Joe Mihalich
Seventh Year at Hofstra: 129-89
22nd Year Overall: 394-292
TELEVISION AND RADIO (FloSports and College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
Color Analyst: Danny Johnson
GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (11-8, 5-2 CAA) looks to get back on the winning track after going through the toughest stretch of games in its first half of Colonial Athletic Association play. The Cougars still remain in the hunt and currently sit in third place in the latest league standings behind unbeaten William & Mary (14-5, 6-0 CAA) and their next challenge – second-place Hofstra (14-5, 5-1 CAA) on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. CofC played the Tribe on their home court last week and dueled it out with defending tournament champion Northeastern (L, 76-79) in its last outing at home. This time around, the Cougars will have to defend a Hofstra squad that currently leads the CAA in scoring offense averaging 76.9 points per game. This season, CofC has limited opponents to 67.6 points, but NU was the first opponent in the team's last eight contests to score over 60 points. For the second-straight game, it will be a meeting of the top scoring duos in the league with Charleston's Grant Riller (2nd, 21.8 ppg) and Brevin Galloway (22nd, 11.4 ppg) combining for 33.2 points per game versus Hofstra's Desure Buie (5th, 18.7 ppg) and Eli Pemberton (8th, 16.3 ppg) combining for 35.0 ppg.
HOFSTRA AT-A-GLANCE
After winning the conference regular-season title and automatic NIT bid a year ago (lost to NC State in NIT First Round), Hofstra was picked as the preseason CAA favorite with 14 first-place votes. The Pride returns senior guard Eli Pemberton, who was selected to the preseason All-CAA First Team along with Grant Riller. The program's signature win in non-conference play was an 88-78 road victory at UCLA back in November. It was Hofstra's first win over a Power 5 Conference school since the 2015-16 season.
GAME PROMOTIONS
It's Youth Sports Day presented by Chick-fil-A at TD Arena. Don't miss the annual Baby Race at halftime! Tickets are still available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2019-20 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 TD Arena along with color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 175, So. (7.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 29.2 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Sr. (21.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 32.2 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, Jr. (11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 29.4 min)
#24 Jaylen McManus, F, 6-7, 230, Sr. (8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.5 apg, 27.7 min)
#20 Sam Miller, F, 6-9, 240, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 22.1 min)
PROJECTED HOFSTRA STARTERS
#4 Desure Buie, G, 5-11, 160, Sr. (18.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 35.7 min)
#20 Jalen Ray, G, 6-2, 175, Jr. (12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 31.8 min)
#5 Eli Pemberton, G, 6-5, 195, Sr. (16.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 35.5 min)
#0 Tareq Coburn, F, 6-5, 205, Sr. (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.7 apg, 30.1 min)
#32 Isaac Kante, C, 6-7, 240, Jr. (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 27.1 min)
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the College of Charleston and Hofstra is tied at 6-6. Six of the last seven contests in the series have been decided in single digits including last year's four-point heartbreaker (L, 95-99) against the Pride on Valentine's Day at TD Arena. Last year, Hofstra swept the regular-season series for the only the second time since CofC became members of the Colonial in 2013-14.
LAST EIGHT GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 95-99 (-4) on Feb. 14, 2019 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 72-86 (-14) on Jan. 19, 2019 at Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 86-85 (+1) on Feb. 3, 2018 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 76-70 (+6) on Jan. 20, 2018 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 76-72 (+4) on Feb. 16, 2017 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 77-71 (+6) on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 63-72 (-9) on Feb. 27, 2016 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 72-61 (+11) on Jan. 7, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
NORTHEASTERN RECAP
Northeastern 79, College of Charleston 76
• For the ninth-consecutive game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jaylen McManus and Sam Miller (6-3).
• The Huskies take a one-game advantage in the all-time series with College of Charleston, 8-7. The last six meetings between the two schools have been decided in single digits.
• Grant Riller recorded the first-ever triple-double by a Cougar player with a team-high tying 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists against Northeastern. It marked his 100th career double-figure scoring game as he has now tabulated 2,211 career points to date.
• Sam Miller poured in a career-high 20 points including 14 in the first half of play versus Northeastern. He went a career-best 6-for-7 from beyond the arc and also added two blocked shots against the Huskies. It marked his 13th career game to score in double figures.
• Zep Jasper also scored in double figures with 13 points including 5-for-6 from the free throw line against Northeastern.
• The Cougars outrebounded the Huskies, 32-30 – only the sixth time this season to do so against an opponent.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"I wish the answer was easy. It's a season and a journey. Our guys have been very resilient this season. Certainly that was a tough loss (against Northeastern). But, we have to move on and prepare for the next challenge that's coming up. You are only promised 31 games and then you have the conference tournament, so the next one is the next one. We will come up with a good game plan, be ready to play and be excited about it at 4 o'clock on Saturday." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on how to make sure the team doesn't get into a slump after back-to-back losses to William & Mary and Northeastern
"He was ready to play. He did a lot of good things. He drove it and got it out to his teammates. He was in the paint a lot. He's a special player. He has already proven that – over a five-year period of time – he can play at a high level. It's nice that he can get 10 assists and that he can pass the ball. He's proven that he is a high-level, special player and he is going to play somewhere when he is done at the College of Charleston. I don't think he has to prove too much more, but I thought he had a really good game. I'm disappointed we couldn't celebrate it the way we could have celebrated it, because he did a lot of good things." – Coach Grant on Grant Riller's triple-double performance against Northeastern
"He made a lot of hard shots. I thought we did a good job of challenging his shots. You have to give him credit. Some of those shots he made were talented shots. They were hard shots and contested shots. Usually if you contest a shot, that's pretty good D. He made some shots against really good defense. He is one of the tougher challenges in the league and one of the hardest to guard. He delivered for his team." – Grant on the team's defense and guarding Northeastern's Jordan Roland
Game #20
January 18, 2020 • 4:00 p.m. (ET)
TD Arena/John Kresse Court (5,100)
at Charleston, S.C.
Television: FloSports
Radio: College of Charleston Radio Network (ESPN Radio 910 AM | 94.7 FM)
Series History: Series Tied 6-6
Last Meeting: Hofstra def. CofC, 99-95, on Feb. 14, 2019 in Charleston, S.C.
Internet: Live Statistics at www.CofCStats.com
Live On-Demand Video: FloSports Subscription at http://bit.ly/2JP6sGV
Tickets: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
Twitter: @CofCBasketball
THE COACHES
College of Charleston: Earl Grant
Sixth Year at CofC: 112-73
Sixth Year Overall: 112-73
Hofstra: Joe Mihalich
Seventh Year at Hofstra: 129-89
22nd Year Overall: 394-292
TELEVISION AND RADIO (FloSports and College of Charleston Radio Network)
Play-By-Play: Everett German
Color Analyst: Danny Johnson
GAME PREVIEW
The College of Charleston men's basketball team (11-8, 5-2 CAA) looks to get back on the winning track after going through the toughest stretch of games in its first half of Colonial Athletic Association play. The Cougars still remain in the hunt and currently sit in third place in the latest league standings behind unbeaten William & Mary (14-5, 6-0 CAA) and their next challenge – second-place Hofstra (14-5, 5-1 CAA) on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. CofC played the Tribe on their home court last week and dueled it out with defending tournament champion Northeastern (L, 76-79) in its last outing at home. This time around, the Cougars will have to defend a Hofstra squad that currently leads the CAA in scoring offense averaging 76.9 points per game. This season, CofC has limited opponents to 67.6 points, but NU was the first opponent in the team's last eight contests to score over 60 points. For the second-straight game, it will be a meeting of the top scoring duos in the league with Charleston's Grant Riller (2nd, 21.8 ppg) and Brevin Galloway (22nd, 11.4 ppg) combining for 33.2 points per game versus Hofstra's Desure Buie (5th, 18.7 ppg) and Eli Pemberton (8th, 16.3 ppg) combining for 35.0 ppg.
HOFSTRA AT-A-GLANCE
After winning the conference regular-season title and automatic NIT bid a year ago (lost to NC State in NIT First Round), Hofstra was picked as the preseason CAA favorite with 14 first-place votes. The Pride returns senior guard Eli Pemberton, who was selected to the preseason All-CAA First Team along with Grant Riller. The program's signature win in non-conference play was an 88-78 road victory at UCLA back in November. It was Hofstra's first win over a Power 5 Conference school since the 2015-16 season.
GAME PROMOTIONS
It's Youth Sports Day presented by Chick-fil-A at TD Arena. Don't miss the annual Baby Race at halftime! Tickets are still available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC or online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
COUGARS ON THE AIRWAVES
Fans can listen to all CofC men's basketball games throughout the 2019-20 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 TD Arena along with color analyst Danny Johnson on the College of Charleston Radio Network.
PROJECTED COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STARTERS
#10 Zep Jasper, G, 6-1, 175, So. (7.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 29.2 min)
#1 Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 190, Sr. (21.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 32.2 min)
#2 Brevin Galloway, G, 6-2, 215, Jr. (11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 29.4 min)
#24 Jaylen McManus, F, 6-7, 230, Sr. (8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.5 apg, 27.7 min)
#20 Sam Miller, F, 6-9, 240, Sr. (8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 22.1 min)
PROJECTED HOFSTRA STARTERS
#4 Desure Buie, G, 5-11, 160, Sr. (18.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 35.7 min)
#20 Jalen Ray, G, 6-2, 175, Jr. (12.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 31.8 min)
#5 Eli Pemberton, G, 6-5, 195, Sr. (16.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 35.5 min)
#0 Tareq Coburn, F, 6-5, 205, Sr. (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.7 apg, 30.1 min)
#32 Isaac Kante, C, 6-7, 240, Jr. (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 27.1 min)
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the College of Charleston and Hofstra is tied at 6-6. Six of the last seven contests in the series have been decided in single digits including last year's four-point heartbreaker (L, 95-99) against the Pride on Valentine's Day at TD Arena. Last year, Hofstra swept the regular-season series for the only the second time since CofC became members of the Colonial in 2013-14.
LAST EIGHT GAMES IN THE SERIES
L, 95-99 (-4) on Feb. 14, 2019 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 72-86 (-14) on Jan. 19, 2019 at Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 86-85 (+1) on Feb. 3, 2018 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 76-70 (+6) on Jan. 20, 2018 in Charleston, S.C.
W, 76-72 (+4) on Feb. 16, 2017 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 77-71 (+6) on Jan. 7, 2017 in Charleston, S.C.
L, 63-72 (-9) on Feb. 27, 2016 in Hempstead, N.Y.
W, 72-61 (+11) on Jan. 7, 2016 in Charleston, S.C.
NORTHEASTERN RECAP
Northeastern 79, College of Charleston 76
• For the ninth-consecutive game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Grant Riller, Brevin Galloway, Jaylen McManus and Sam Miller (6-3).
• The Huskies take a one-game advantage in the all-time series with College of Charleston, 8-7. The last six meetings between the two schools have been decided in single digits.
• Grant Riller recorded the first-ever triple-double by a Cougar player with a team-high tying 20 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists against Northeastern. It marked his 100th career double-figure scoring game as he has now tabulated 2,211 career points to date.
• Sam Miller poured in a career-high 20 points including 14 in the first half of play versus Northeastern. He went a career-best 6-for-7 from beyond the arc and also added two blocked shots against the Huskies. It marked his 13th career game to score in double figures.
• Zep Jasper also scored in double figures with 13 points including 5-for-6 from the free throw line against Northeastern.
• The Cougars outrebounded the Huskies, 32-30 – only the sixth time this season to do so against an opponent.
COUGAR SOUND BITES
"I wish the answer was easy. It's a season and a journey. Our guys have been very resilient this season. Certainly that was a tough loss (against Northeastern). But, we have to move on and prepare for the next challenge that's coming up. You are only promised 31 games and then you have the conference tournament, so the next one is the next one. We will come up with a good game plan, be ready to play and be excited about it at 4 o'clock on Saturday." – CofC Head Coach Earl Grant on how to make sure the team doesn't get into a slump after back-to-back losses to William & Mary and Northeastern
"He was ready to play. He did a lot of good things. He drove it and got it out to his teammates. He was in the paint a lot. He's a special player. He has already proven that – over a five-year period of time – he can play at a high level. It's nice that he can get 10 assists and that he can pass the ball. He's proven that he is a high-level, special player and he is going to play somewhere when he is done at the College of Charleston. I don't think he has to prove too much more, but I thought he had a really good game. I'm disappointed we couldn't celebrate it the way we could have celebrated it, because he did a lot of good things." – Coach Grant on Grant Riller's triple-double performance against Northeastern
"He made a lot of hard shots. I thought we did a good job of challenging his shots. You have to give him credit. Some of those shots he made were talented shots. They were hard shots and contested shots. Usually if you contest a shot, that's pretty good D. He made some shots against really good defense. He is one of the tougher challenges in the league and one of the hardest to guard. He delivered for his team." – Grant on the team's defense and guarding Northeastern's Jordan Roland
Players Mentioned
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