Coastal Carolina men’s basketball came out on top against the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 85-67 on Saturday, continuing their momentum.
Coming off a nail-biting win against Texas State University on Thursday, when CCU guard Joshua Beadle scored a career-high of 32 points; the Chants carried that energy into this matchup. Forward Nadjrick Peat won the opening tip, giving the Chanticleers first possession.
The Chants turned the ball over but quickly responded when guard Rasheed Jones knocked down a three-point shot for the first points of the game.
“We’ve talked about as a team that starting off slow, slows the game down for us as a team, so we come out being ready to go. Especially being at home, we give the crowd something to care about,” CCU guard AJ Dancler said.
Jones finished the game with a career-high of seven three-pointers.
“I try to let the game come to me.” Jones said. “My teammates trust me and my coaches trust me, so I always try to make the right play.”
Forward Reggie Hill added a three-pointer, and Dancler followed with back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to extend Coastal’s lead.
Following a Golden Eagle miss, Peat scored a layup with an assist from Beadle, who then hit a layup of his own two possessions later.
Jones hit a step back three-pointer that was heavily contested by Southern Mississippi, but the Golden Eagles could not stop their momentum as the Chants finished the first half up 39-25. Hill capped the run by driving to the basket on the following possession.
“This is one of the better games we played offensively, from a shooting perspective, but it’s still about growth,” said Coastal Carolina head coach Justin Gray.
The Chants maintained control throughout the second half with aggressive play.
CCU guard Tristian Thompson fouled out of the second half while Beadle was charged with his first foul of the game.
Jones sparked the crowd after converting at the free throw line, followed with a three-pointer and mid-range jumper on consecutive possessions.
Hill and Dancler fed off the momentum with Hill hitting another three-pointer from the corner and Dancler adding a quick two-point basket.
Coastal kept the game out of reach for Southern Mississippi with offensive pressure and strong defensive stops.
The Chants closed out the game with an 85-67 win and will look to continue their winning streak against the University of South Alabama on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama.
