Coastal Carolina men’s basketball defeated Marshall University 79-75 during their senior night on Saturday.
During the game, seniors honored included: forward Nadjrick Peat, guard Joshua Beadle, guard Andre Mulibea, guard Jackson Keil, forward Jerry Ngopot, forward Reggie Hill and guard Charles Dunlap were recognized for their hard work.
“I thank these guys for making this year special for me out of all my college years. I’ve enjoyed playing with this team the most and we’ve been the closest out of all of my teams and, I think we can do something special this year,” Beadle said.
The Chants started the game ahead with Peat winning the tipoff and guard AJ Dancler securing the first points of the game.
Coastal Carolina guard Rasheed Jones hit the first 3-pointer of the game, forcing Marshall to start the game with full court pressure.
Dancler had a block early in the first half followed by a Marshall choke, turning the ball over to the Chants.
The Chanticleers, in a large defensive effort, did not allow any Marhsall rebounds until the end of the first half, aiding their lead.
Marshall received a technical foul due to head coach, Cornelius Jackson, handling the ball while in play. Rebounding off that momentum, Dancler had a fastbreak layup that forced Marshall to call a time out. Following the timeout, Peat went for back-to-back blocks against the Thundering Herd.
At the end of the first half, Marshall found themselves in a trap defense that Coastal was able to break through. The Chants finished the first half in the lead 36-24.
Marshall started the second half scoring, which Coastal quickly responded to
Marshall accounted for 21 personal fouls against the Chants in the second half, testing the integrity of the Chants free throw abilities.
“It’s an illegal play, were not the NBA we’re not allowed to just run up and foul guys, we made an adjustment. We knew they wanted to foul; you can foul someone that is out of bounds. We told them to stay out of bounds, and they still pushed a guy into the basket support,” CCU head coach Justin Gray said.
Despite fouling, Marshall was able to come back with 51 points in the second half. Coastal, however, responded with free throws and defensive strategy. A flagrant foul was called against Marshall guard Bryce Slay for shoving Beadle, forcing him to the line where he sunk both free-throws.
The Chants looked to protect their late lead as Peat blocked a driving attempt from Marshall, meeting a school record of 50 blocks in a season.
“Theres nothing I love more than blocking someone’s shot. It gives me a buzz; it’s my favorite thing to do out there and what coach brought me here to do. It’s my specialty,” Peat said.
With Dancler out of the game for a double technical, Marshall guard Noah Otshudi made a late effort scoring 18 points. Coastal, defending their lead, secured the win at 79-75.
Looking ahead, Coastal men’s basketball will finish out their regular season next week, beginning Tuesday against Georgia State.
