Coastal Returns to Kimbel Arena to Face High Point

Scouting High Point

High Point is coached by Tooey Loy, who is in his fourth season at High Point. He has a 51-50 overall record and at his alma mater.

Coastal Carolina leads the season series with High Point 9-5. Coastal won two of the three meetings with the Panthers last season, including a 68-62 win in the first round of the Big South Tournament March 9, 2004. Coastal defeated the Panthers 72-65 in the lone meeting at Kimbel Arena. Head Coach Alan LeForce also is 9-5 all-time against High Point.

Coastal Carolina starts a string of four home games in the next five contests against High Point. Coastal 4-2 at Kimbel Arena and are averaging 66.8 points a game, compared to season total of 58.6 points a game. Coastal also is shooting 43.8 percent from the field at Kimbel.

Coastal Carolina has used six different starting lineups in the first 14 games. Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) is the only Lady Chant to start all 14 games. Coastal also has had senior Lucia Popovici (Edmonton, Alberta/Jasper Place) in the starting lineup in four of the five wins.

Coastal is 3-0 when it makes more free throws than its opponent, compared to 2-9 when it equals or is less than its opponents hits from the charity stripe. Against Coker Jan. 5, Coastal was 12-of-21 from the line, compared to 4-of-7 for the Cobras.

Coastal had a season high 45 rebounds in the 55-41 loss to Radford Jan. 17. Senior Courtney Brown (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) and junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) had seven rebounds apiece, while sophomore Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) had six rebounds, all in the first half. The Lady Chants outrebounded the Highlanders 45-39 and it was the first time in the last eight contests that Radford has been outrebounded.

Although Coastal Carolina lost 59-50 in its Big South Conference opener against Liberty, the Lady Chants defense held the Lady Flames to 35.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. They also held All-America candidate Katie Feenstra to just 14 points, more than three below her season average. Last season, Feenstra averaged 26.0 points against Coastal in two games. The big difference of the game was that the Lady Flames had a 29-10 advantage on made free-throw attempts.

Coastal Carolina had its best shooting performance in almost a year against Coker. CCU went 30-of-53 from the field for 56.6 percent. It was the first time this season that the Lady Chants went above 50 percent line and the first time since March 1, 2004, in a 67-43 win over Birmingham-Southern.

Junior Amber Rose (Bloomington Springs, Tenn./Upperman) hit four three-pointers for the second consecutive game in a 79-41 win over Coker Jan. 5. Rose was an efficient 4-of-5 from three-point range for 12 points. Rose’s four treys were the most by a Coastal player this season. On the year, Rose is 19-of-56 (.339) from behind the line, but an elbow injury against Winthrop has sidelined the guard.

Coastal had 20 assists in the 79-41 win over Coker Jan. 5, including five each from senior Lucia Popovici (Edmonton, Alberta/Jasper Place) and junior Amber Rose (Bloomington Springs, Tenn./Upperman). In fact, Popovici had all her assists in the first half. Coastal is averaging 13.1 assists per game, which is second in the Big South behind Liberty.

Coastal Carolina has several individuals in the latest Big South statistical rankings, out Jan. 19. Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) is third in the league in field-goal percentage (.526), fourth in blocked shots (1.31) and fifth in scoring (13.2). Sophomore Alisha Dill (Johnson City, Tenn./Science Hill) is sixth in the conference in assists (3.08). Junior Jasmine Tyler (Jacksonville, Fla./Okaloosa C.C.) is third in the Big South in steals at 2.46 a game. Junior Amber Rose (Bloomington Springs, Tenn./Upperman) is ninth in assists (2.46), free-throw percentage (.643) and three-point field goal percentage (.352).

Junior Kim Turner (West Memphis, Ark./Hiwassee C.C.) had three blocked shots for the third time this season against the College of Charleston Dec. 19. Turner has 17 blocked shots on the season and had two blocks against Campbell Dec. 30.

Sophomore Vanessa Laug (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) had a career high 15 points off the bench in a 73-45 win over Savannah State Dec. 16. She connected on five of her seven field-goal attempts and was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. She is now averaging 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Coastal got off to a hot start in its 73-45 win over Savannah State Dec. 16. The Lady Chants lead 11-0 just 2:50 into the game and had a 22-point lead (30-8) at the 7:41 mark. Coastal led by as many as 28 points in the first 20 minutes on its way to its largest winning margin since last year’s season opener against Anderson, in which the Lady Chants won 76-48.