CCU Men’s Hoops Emerging as Big South Force
By Terry Massey
Even with the best start in school history and an eight-game winning streak, the jury was still out on whether the Coastal Carolina men's basketball team was for real or not.
After all, many of the Chanticleers' wins had come against some pretty light competition, so they really needed to beat a big-name team to turn heads.
Consider those heads officially turned.
Coastal Carolina defeated Big South Conference power Winthrop 57-47 at Kimbel Arena on Saturday to improve to 13-2 overall (3-0 in conference play), and stretch its winning streak to nine.
But the biggest thing the victory did was lend credibility to a program looking for its first winning season since 1994. This appears to be the year for CCU.
”This was a statement game for us,” said CCU coach Cliff Ellis, “and our guys were up to the challenge. Everyone played a great game.”
Four Chants scored in double figures, led by Joseph Harris' 16 points and Logan Johnson's 14. Mario Edwards and freshman Danny Nieman added 10 points apiece.
But defense was the order of the day in this game. Coastal held the Eagles to just 25 percent shooting from the floor, the lowest average an opponent has shot against the Chants in five years.
Coastal held Winthrop to three scoring droughts of five minutes or more, but the Eagles closed the first half with a 13-2 run and cut the halftime deficit to 29-26.
The Chants opened the second half with a 9-0 run to build their biggest lead of the game at 12 points, but the Eagles once again closed the gap to three at 41-38.
But that was as close as Winthrop would get the rest of the way. Coastal scored the next eight points and coasted to its third straight Big South Conference victory.
Coastal plays again Monday night at 7 p.m. at home against Presbyterian.
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