CCU

Men's Basketball Defeats Winthrop 57-47 in Big South Play

The Chants win their ninth game in a row, holding the Eagles to 24.6 percent from the floor.

       

Sam McLaurin had four blocked shots in the 57-47 win over Winthrop.

Sam McLaurin had four blocked shots in the 57-47 win over Winthrop.

Jan. 2, 2010

Box Score

Video Highlights

 

CONWAY, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball team (13-2, 3-0 Big South) moved to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 1996-97 and won its ninth straight game overall in a 57-47 win over Winthrop (5-8, 1-2 Big South) Jan. 2 in Conway, S.C.

The Chants held the Eagles to 24.6 percent shooting on the day. It was the lowest field-goal percentage by an opponent since Coker shot 23.1 percent Nov. 30, 2005. This included holding WU to 17.9 percent from the floor in the second half.

Coastal started the game with three's from Joseph Harris and Logan Johnson, giving the Chants a 6-1 lead at 17:51. A Harris layup at 14:12 made it 10-4 Chants, but Winthrop would score the next six points, capped by a Robbie Dreher layup at 13:23. A Dreher three at 11:55 made it 15-13 Chants, but Coastal would go on an 11-2 run, capped by a three from Danny Nieman at 5:32. Winthrop would hang in, cutting the Chant lead to 29-26 at the break on a free throw from Justin Burton.

Harris led Coastal with nine points at the half, while Nieman scored eight points, which included two three-pointers. Coastal shot 50 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, while Winthrop was 9-of-29 from the floor. Mantoris Robinson led the Eagles with six first-half points.

Coastal took its biggest lead on a Johnson layup at 15:38, making it 38-26 Chants. Winthrop would then score the next six points, making it 38-32 on two Reggie Middleton free throws. Winthrop would then cut the Chant lead to 41-38 on a layup from Charles Corbin, but Nieman had a big steal and layup at 6:29. Nieman assisted on a three-point play to Mario Edwards, giving the Chants a 46-38 lead at 5:28. Johnson's free throw at 3:40 capped the 8-0 run, giving Coastal a 49-38 lead. Winthrop cut the lead at 51-46 on a Dreher three with 51 seconds left, but Coastal was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the last minute, securing its ninth win in a row.

Harris led four Chants in double figures in scoring, as he had 16 points and eight rebounds. Johnson added 14 points, while Nieman and Edwards had 10 points apiece. Edwards almost had a double-double with nine rebounds, while Nieman had a game-high six assists and four steals.

For Winthrop, Dreher had 11 points off the bench, while Robinson had nine rebounds and two steals.

Winthrop outrebounded Coastal 38-36, with 18 of its rebounds on the offensive end. Both teams also had 12 turnovers.

Sam McLaurin added four blocked shots, including a big one with 4:46 left. Coastal had six blocks on the game.

The Chants shot 41.5 percent from the floor and were 18-of-27 from the free-throw line. Winthrop went 16-of-20 from the charity stripe.

Coastal Carolina wraps up its five-game homestand Monday, Jan. 4 against Presbyterian. Tip off is at 7 p.m. Winthrop is at Charleston Southern the same night at 7:30 p.m.