Coastal Falls Narrowly to Georgia State in Thrilling 79-74 Showdown

ATLANTA — It was a narrative of two periods Saturday at the GSU Convocation Center as Coastal Carolina men’s basketball succumbed to Georgia State in Sun Belt Conference play by a score of 79-74. 

Coastal (8-9, 1-4) commenced the contest with one of its strongest 20-minute performances of the season, holding a 44-31 advantage after sinking 10 three-pointers in the first half. 

Georgia State (7-10, 3-2) reversed the narrative in the second half, launching a 28-14 run within 11 minutes to seize a 59-58 lead with nine minutes remaining. 

From that point, it became a tight contest during the closing minutes, with the Panthers shooting nearly 60 percent (.567) from the field while the Chanticleers failed to make any of their seven attempts from beyond the arc in the second half. 

A driving layup by Denzel Hines with 1:40 left drew CCU to within two at 72-70, but the Panthers’ Cesare Edwards responded with a jumper of his own. Coastal could not capitalize on its next possession and GSU’s Malachi Brown landed a critical three-pointer with 35 seconds on the clock, extending the lead to 77-70. 

The Chants scored the last four points of the match, resulting in the final five-point margin. 

Rasheed Jones topped the scoring chart with 18 points, highlighted by five three-pointers in the first half. Battle concluded with 15, while Josh Meo contributed 10 points along with seven assists. Noah Amenhauser recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Naz Brown provided six assists and four steals. 

GSU’s Zarique Nutter led all scorers with 23 points and three assists. Edwards added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Toneari Lane scored 19 points alongside six rebounds. 

UP NEXT

Coastal will return to the HTC center to contend against Georgia Southern on Thursday and Marshall on Saturday. The games are set to commence at 7 and 3:30 p.m. ET, respectively, with coverage available on ESPN+ and the Chanticleer Sports Network. 

FOLLOW THE CHANTS

For comprehensive coverage of CCU men’s basketball, connect with the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or browse the official site of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.