CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston used a balanced scoring attack to take down South Carolina State, 90-63, behind a career-high 16 points from sophomore guard Brenden Tucker on Friday night at TD Arena.
 
The Cougars (2-3) scored 90 points for the second time this season next to a 99-59 victory over NCAA Division II Limestone on Nov. 28.
 
Tucker was flawless from the floor and free throw line going 5-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 from long range and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe against the Bulldogs (0-6). He came off the bench – as did other reserves in the second half of play – with the game in control and graduate senior guard Brevin Galloway sidelined by an injury in the first half.
 
Charleston took advantage of its trips to the free throw line making 25-of-26 attempts. The CofC defense also made SC State commit 13 turnovers and converted those into 14 points.
 
The Cougars never trailed and led by as many as 31 points as redshirt junior center Samba Ndiaye buried a hook shot, 90-59, with 1:49 remaining in regulation.
 
Joining Tucker in double figures was Galloway, who had 13 in the first half, as well as Zep Jasper with 12, Payton Willis 11 and Dontavius King 10.
 
Meanwhile, South Carolina State had three players in double figures including a game-high tying 16 from Floyd Rideau, Jr.
 
The Cougars will take the next week off to focus on final exams and return to action against Western Carolina on Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the second-straight game, College of Charleston went with the starting five of Zep Jasper, Payton Willis, Brevin Galloway, Dontavius King and Osinachi Smart.
· With the win, College of Charleston now leads 16-8 in the all-time series with South Carolina. The Cougars have won the last nine meetings between the two Palmetto State schools.
· Brenden Tucker came off the bench and scored a career-high 16 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line against South Carolina State.
· The Cougars made a season-best 25-for-26 shots from the charity stripe against the Bulldogs.
· Zep Jasper extended his double-digit scoring streak to four-consecutive games filling up his stat line with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes of action versus South Carolina State.
· Dontavius King has now reached double figures in the three of the team's last four games registering 10 points on the night against SC State.
· All 12 players contributed in the scoring column including career bests from Tucker and freshman forward Keegan Harvey (8 points).
· CofC also dished out a season-high 16 assists versus the Bulldogs.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
 
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the win …
"We played with balance tonight. We played with a determined spirit. We played all 12 players. I thought they were very unselfish with 16 assists. I thought we really executed the game plan. I was really proud of their efforts."
 
On Brevin Galloway's first-half injury …
"The doctors will evaluate him tonight. He hasn't had a MRI. Certainly, it did not look good. We will know more later tonight or tomorrow morning. He will have it looked at and we will know more from there."
 
On the possible loss of Brevin Galloway in the lineup …
"This season is a challenging season. It's one of those things we would have to adjust to and keep moving forward. Certainly, he is a special player and special person. He has invested a lot into our program."
 
On the career performance from sophomore guard Brenden Tucker …
"Brenden has been behind a couple of good guards. But, that's what we recruited him for. He's a talented player. It's been very hard for him, because he hasn't had a chance to play. He had a chance tonight and he delivered. He's very talented. One of the fastest guys we've got on the team. He stepped up and accepted the challenge."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Brenden Tucker
On how the team regrouped after Brevin Galloway went down with an injury in the first half …
"Coach (Grant) always talks about 'next man up.' We knew people had to step-up. Get in the game. Fortunately, we did and we came out with the W."
 
On the team's improved defense …
"We definitely went back to Charleston Basketball. These last few games, it hasn't been Charleston Basketball. I feel like we stepped it up this game. We were in a slump and this W felt really good."