Opening night for the men’s basketball team saw a big home win against St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Nov. 7.  

Junior Essam Mostafa started the season strong with a 22 point 12 rebound performance in just 24 minutes, only missing one shot. His performance proved why he was deserving to be voted to the All Sun Belt Conference 2nd team for the preseason. 

The team started strong in the first half, getting out early in transition and ending up leading 50-16 at half after a 19-5 run in the final six minutes. Senior guard Linton Brown made his presence known early in the game and finished with 18 points, and was four for nine from three.  

The Chanticleers’ connection benefitted from the new and transfer players.  

Coach Cliff Ellis grabbed his 818th career Division 1 win, giving him sole possession for the 10th most Division 1 Men’s Basketball wins. Ellis sits 13 points away from passing Jim Phelan for ninth. Ellis had the team locked in as they shot 66% from the field as a team and 48% from the three-point line. 

The most impressive performance was by super senior and Eastern Kentucky University transfer Jomaru Brown. Brown has a known reputation to be a scorer and he came off the bench and did just that. He gave the Chanticleers an elite spark and some crafty buckets.  

Brown played for 23 minutes and scored 19 on seven for eight shooting. He also had three steals that led the team defensively which will be needed all season. 

With such a lead, the bench was emptied.  

Guard Kylan Blackmon, a standout transfer player, played for 15 minutes and scored his first career Division 1 points and finished with five total. Freshman Marcus Saunders may not have scored but he was aggressive and put up two shots in his first minutes.  

Coastal Carolina University picked up this impressive win to start the season 1-0. The Chanticleers played against Methodist University on Nov. 11 and increased their overall score 2-0.