CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston won its third-straight game in Colonial Athletic Association play behind a career-high 35-point performance from sophomore guard Brenden Tucker that led to a series sweep of Drexel, 73-68, on Sunday afternoon at TD Arena.
 
Tucker was hot all day for the Cougars (5-6, 3-1 CAA) shooting 13-for-16 from the floor including 5-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc. It marked the highest-scoring performance this season in the league. Tucker is one of only 30 players currently in NCAA Division I to score 35-or-more points in a single game this year.
 
The win moved CofC into second place in the current conference standings. For the second-straight contest, the Cougars used a second-half spurt to overcome another halftime deficit to Drexel.
 
All eight players who checked into the ballgame contributed in the scoring column including a career-high eight points from freshman big man Keegan Harvey.
 
The Dragons (5-4, 0-2 CAA), who led 39-29 at halftime, had three players in double figures including 19 from preseason All-CAA First Team selection Camren Wynter. Zach Walton had 17 and James Butler 16.
 
The Cougars continue their CAA homestand playing host to current league leader Northeastern (5-5, 4-0 CAA) in back-to-back games slated for Saturday, Jan. 16 and Sunday, Jan. 17 at TD Arena. Both games will tipoff at 1 p.m. (ET).
 
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the fourth-consecutive league game, College of Charleston started Zep Jasper, Payton Willis, Brenden Tucker, Lorenzo Edwards and Osinachi Smart (3-1).
· With the win, College of Charleston improves to 15-6 in the all-time series with Drexel. The Cougars have now swept the regular-season series with the Dragons in back-to-back seasons.
· Brenden Tucker registered a career-high 35 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the floor and 5-for-7 from beyond the arc against Drexel. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. It marked the highest-scoring individual performance in the CAA this season and tied for the 13th-most points in a single game in program history (NAIA and NCAA Division I Eras). Tucker is one of only 30 players in NCAA Division I to score 35-or-more points this season. It marked his third double-figure scoring game this year and career.
· Keegan Harvey came off the bench and reset career highs in points (8) and rebounds (4) against Drexel. The Australian big man has now knocked down seven 3-pointers this season including two long-range bombers versus the Dragons.
· The Cougars shot 55.8 percent from the field (29-of-52) against the Dragons – the team's second-highest single-game shooting percentage this season behind 56.7% in a win over Limestone on Nov. 28.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
 
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the series sweep …
"Just again, I'm proud of our players for showing so much effort and so much resilience. There were some ebbs-and-flows in that game. They (Drexel) came out and got up on us in the first half and made tough shots. We were down 10 at the half. We really showed the right type of character coming out in the second half. Working hard and trusting what we were trying to do. I'm happy for the players and happy for the fans that we were able to win against a really good team."
 
On the play of Brenden Tucker …
"It came together for him tonight. He's a guy who has played spot minutes for us – playing behind really good players like Grant Riller and Brevin Galloway. Circumstances have put him in a position where he is now a starter. He's starting to find his rhythm. Just a really good player that we thought was a big-time scorer when we recruited him. That's what he did today."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Brenden Tucker
On his career-high 35-point performance …
"Probably high school or AAU. Probably in AAU, I had 44 points – the highest I've ever had. It feels great. I already knew I had it to me. I just had to get it out there. It really felt great today (to get the win and sweep). We knew we had to go out 2-0 and be off to a good start in conference."
 
On when he knew he had the hot hand …
"To be honest, it was really after the first layup. I knew (it was there). It was great to get my teammates involved as well."
 
On the team learning to play together …
"Most definitely. In the pre-conference, we were just trying to mesh together. It's a new team. After the pre-conference, I think we mesh together well. The pre-conference took a toll on us, but we knew we were better than that. We knew we had to come out strong going into conference play. We are going to be some trouble for some teams."