Coastal Carolina Tops Georgia Southern in Hanner
12/16/2009 4:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern could do nothing but envy Coastal Carolina's 64 percent percent shooting from the field in the second half as the Chanticleers took a 69-58 win at Hanner Fieldhouse Tuesday (December 15) night. The Eagles nearly matched Coastal Carolina's shooting percentage in the first half, 54.5-52.5 percent, but struggled in the second period as they had nine baskets on 9-22 shooting. Coastal Carolina had 16 field goals in 25 attempts. The Chanticleers finished with 28 field goals to the Eagles' 21 total.
Redshirt junior Chad Gray scored a game-high 24 points off the bench in 28 minutes to lead the Chanticleers, hitting 10 of 12 field goal attempts and adding four rebounds to his box score line. Redshirt senior Joseph Harris had a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Two other Chanticleers scored in double figures.
"Coastal Carolina played like a team that knows how to win and we're a bunch that's trying to learn how to win," said Eagles Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "I thought we played hard until the second half. In the first half, we were consistent, but in the second half, fatigue, a lack of concentration, I'm not sure, changed the game. We have to get a win under our belt so we can get out of this rut."
Willie Powers III (Gainesville, Fla.) had 19 points for Georgia Southern, scoring in double digits for his eighth-straight game, with 12 of his total points coming in the second half. Colby Wohlleb (Boca Raton, Fla.) had 11 points, hitting 4-5 from the field with a 3-3 mark from behind the arc. Georgia Southern hit seven three-point baskets, the most since its total of eight against Troy on November 29th.
The Eagles' shooting struggles started early in the second half. Georgia Southern did not score a field goal until 11:30 into the period while Coastal Carolina took advantage of an 13-3 run to take a 40-31 lead. After the Chanticleers extended the margin, 43-33, GS cut the lead to six with a three pointer by Wohlleb and jumper by Powers with 9:39 left in the game. A jumper by Wohlleb and layup by Jeb Brannen (Register, Ga.) trimmed the Coastal lead to five. Following a media timeout at 7:55, Powers hit a three to put the Eagles within one possession at 44-47.
Over the next three minutes, Coastal Carolina went on a 13-2 run off a three-point play and jumper by Mario Edwards and three pointers by Danny Nieman and Logan Johnson for a 58-46 score favoring the Chanticleers. The Eagles chipped away at the lead as Powers hit a three-pointer with 2:14 left on the clock (55-63), but Coastal added a few baskets and free throws to close out the game.
In a tough back-and-forth battle throughout the first half, the lead changed nine times with the Eagles taking a six-point lead, the largest of the first half, at the 8:39 mark. The Chanticleers made a 9-4 run over the next four minutes to grab a one-point lead and the two teams traded buckets for the last 3:41 of the half.
A jumper by Krzysztof Janiszewski (Dzierzoniow, Poland) put the Eagles on top 25-24 with 1:39 left before halftime. A free throw by Johntavious Rucker (Decatur, Ga.) added another point to the lead before Coastal's Johnson nailed a three pointer with 13 seconds before the break to give Coastal a 27-26 edge. Powers countered with a jumper to push the Eagles to a 28-27 halftime lead.
The Eagles had 17 turnovers, a contrast to the team-low of eight against N.C. State Saturday, and picked up only five steals, half of the team's average.
Georgia Southern was without the services of sophomore guard Ben Drayton III who did not dress out for the Coastal Carolina game Tuesday due to an academic suspension.
The Eagles begin a four-game road trip and will not return to Hanner Fieldhouse until January 6, 2010. Georgia Southern travels to Evansville for its Thursday night game against the Purple Aces at Roberts Stadium. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern time.
