CHARLESTON, S.C. – Reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Zep Jasper registered a game-high 16 points as College of Charleston beat Elon, 71-53, on Saturday at TD Arena.
 
It marked the Cougars' (8-8, 6-3 CAA) third win in a row as the CAA race heats up. Brenden Tucker joined Jasper in double figures with 11, while Dontavius King added 10. Lorenzo Edwards made three of the team's five blocked shots in the game.
 
The Phoenix (3-8, 0-7) dropped their eighth-straight game and second contest in five days. They were led in the scoring column by Darius Burford and Ikenna Ndugba, who each scored 12 points.
 
Both teams will lace it up tomorrow with the second game of the weekend series slated for 1 p.m. (ET) on Valentine's Day. Mobile tickets can be purchased online at: www.CofCSports.com/tickets
 
POSTGAME NOTES
· For the ninth-straight conference game, College of Charleston started Zep Jasper, Payton Willis, Brenden Tucker, Lorenzo Edwards and Osinachi Smart (6-3).
· With the win, College of Charleston improved to 23-8 in the all-time series with former Southern Conference rival Elon. The Cougars have now won five of the last six meetings between the two schools.
· Zep Jasper extended his double-digit scoring streak to five games with a game-high 16 points including four 3-pointers against Elon. He also dished out four of the team's 11 assists in the ballgame.
· Brenden Tucker reached double figures for the seventh time this season with 11 points converting 6-of-8 from the charity stripe versus the Phoenix.
· Dontavius King recorded his fifth double-figure scoring game of the season with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field against Elon. It was his first career double-digit game in conference play.
· For the third time this season, CofC knocked down 10-or-more 3-pointers in a single game. Against Elon, the Cougars matched its previous season best of 12 threes versus Marshall on Dec. 9.
· The Cougars also made a season-high 11 steals against Elon including a career best five from Payton Willis.
· Senior Samba Ndiaye (two points and one rebound) and sophomore walk-on Jeffrey Pizano-McInnis made their fourth and first appearance respectively of the season.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
 
College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant
On the game …
"I was just proud of the energy and effort the guys played with today. They (Elon) hit us with a blow and we got down 10-2. We made some subs and our bench really came in and gave us some life. It was a total team effort. We had guys subbing in-and-out of the game – really working hard and playing with a lot of energy. I was proud that we were unselfish and shared the ball. We took care of the ball against changing defenses. I am happy we got the win."
 
On Elon not letting up despite being down by double digits …
"Obviously, it's dangerous being up 20 points. I've experienced that here and other places. You kind of almost have to reset your mind that it's 0-0, so you can continue to play the game the right way, make the right decisions and make the right plays. We did a great job of taking that lead from 20 and moving it up higher. Then, we had a great opportunity to play more guys on our bench. Elon does a good job and works hard at it. I expect it to be a challenge when we see those guys again tomorrow. I respect what their program does."
 
College of Charleston Sophomore Guard Brenden Tucker
On the team rolling to their third-straight win …
"I think it first starts in practice. Guys coming into practice and working hard every day. We just stay locked in until it's game time. Playing hard for 40 minutes. In the first half, we really didn't look like the Charleston team that we are. After we started getting bricks – and bricks are three stops in a row – it started clicking for us."
 
On keeping the momentum going in the second half …
"During halftime, we kept saying, 'put your feet on the gas pedal.' That's really our motto and we stuck to that."