Riller leads Charlston past Towson, 79-70 in key CAA battle

Feb 1, 2020, 11:37 pm

TOWSON, Md. -- Grant Riller scored 28 points and Charleston knocked Towson out of a three-way tie for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 79-70 win Saturday afternoon.

Charleston, Hofstra and Towson entered play Saturday tied for second place at 7-3, one game behind conference leader William & Mary. Hofstra romped past The Tribe, 83-60 to forge a first-place tie. Charleston now stands alone in second, one game behind. Towson falls to third.

Towson led by as many as 12 points in the first half and still held a double-digit margin with 1:24 left in the first half after Allen Betrand hit a 3-pointer to make it 38-28. Riller scored at the basket and knocked down a 3 with a second left to cut the lead down to five, 38-33 at intermission.

Jaylen McManus hit a 3 and followed with a layup to put Charleston in front, 41-40 three minutes into the second half. Towson pulled even at 48-48 midway through the half, but never retook the lead.

Brevin Galloway added 16 points for the Cougars (14-9, 8-3). McManus added 14 points and Sam Miller 10.

Betrand finished with 18 points to lead the Tigers (13-10, 7-4), with Jason Gibson adding 16 and Brian Fobbs 15.