CONWAY, S.C. - Coastal Carolina University overcame a halftime deficit with an overpowering inside game in the second half and handed VMI a 101-71 defeat at Kimbel Arena Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale for both teams.
The Chanticleers, who locked up the Big South regular season title and a no. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament two nights ago against Liberty, didn't disappoint the Senior Day crowd as they outscored the Keydets 60-29 in the second half and finished the regular season with a conference record 26 wins overall and a 15-3 league mark. VMI finished the regular campaign 10-18 and 5-13 in the conference.
Despite the loss, the Keydets were able to hold onto the eighth seed in next week's Advance Auto Parts Big South Conference Championship Tournament as Gardner-Webb fell at UNC Asheville, 89-86, securing the berth for the Keydets. VMI will face Coastal Carolina once again at Kimbel Arena in Conway next Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.
Senior guard Mario Edwards led the Chants with 20 points and seven rebounds, while senior forward Joseph Harris added 19 points and nine rebounds. Coastal Carolina also got double figure efforts from redshirt junior forward Chad Grey (14), redshirt freshman forward Sam McLaurin (13) and freshman guard Kierre Greenwood (11).
The Keydets were paced by freshman forward Stan Okoye with 13 points followed by sophomore guard Keith Gabriel with 11 points. Junior guard Austin Kenon and sophomore forward Ron Burks each added 10 points.
In a tale of two halves, the Keydets were able convert effectively on half court execution with dribble penetration in the first half while keeping the Chanticleer post players off balance on the other end of the floor. VMI overcame an early 19-11 deficit six minutes in the game with a 19-10 run over the next seven minutes and took a 20-19 lead on an Okoye layup the 6:58 mark, capping six straight points by the visitors.
Three ties and seven lead changes played out over the nearly final seven minutes of the half, with VMI able to nab a 42-41 lead at the break after Austin Kenon's 3-pointer with :39 left preceded a 3-pointer by Edwards to close out the scoring.
The Keydets outshot Coastal Carolina from the floor in the first half, 56.7% to 46.9%, and held a 26-22 lead in points in the paint throughout the first 20 minutes. Gabriel led the Keydets with 10 first half points including 4-of-4 from the line while senior Carl Josey and Okoye each contributed eight points.
The game quickly turned early in the second half when Coastal Carolina charged to a 10-0 run over the first three minutes of the frame. Layups by Edwards and Harris put the Chants back on top in less than a minute of play and the pair combined for six more points in the paint before a 3-pointer by Burks at the 16:32 mark finally put the Keydets on the board after halftime.
The Chanticleers did not relent on their punishing inside game and pushed the lead to 11 points (60-49) on a dunk by McLaurin with 12:04 left. Sophomore guard Michael Sparks knocked in a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to trim the deficit to eight points, 62-54, but that would be as close as VMI would come the rest of the afternoon.
Coastal embarked on a 22-11 run over the next 5:17 to post its first 20-point lead when Harris converted one of two free throws and the Chanticleers never looked back. Coastal finished the second half shooting 69.2% converting 27 of 39 field goal attempts.
Greenwood dished out a game high eight assists for CCU while Ron Burks logged six assists for the Keydets.
VMI struggled on the free throw line throughout the afternoon, converting just 11 of 21 from the stripe for 52.4%, it worst outing since going six of 16 against Richmond in the second game of the season.
Okoye led the Keydets on the boards with six rebounds and added two blocks.
VMI Coach Duggar Baucom -
"A different team came out of the locker room in the second half. They (CCU) took it right down our throat the first three possessions. Through the floor dribbles and shot layups. They just came out possessed. They wanted it to drive it to the rim and make us stop them...we couldn't stay in front of anybody. We couldn't score, we missed three's and the run-outs turned into transition baskets. They beat us on loose balls and stuck them back in for layups."
"In the first half, we were driving it and also tough with the ball. In the second half, we missed some shots and started pressing a little bit. When we got fouled, we didn't make our free throws. You can't be six of 14 from the line (2nd half). I thought the game was still in the balance when they were up 11 to 13 points early in the second half. We missed free throws, some easy stick-backs, and then started gambling and trying to turn them over and they made us pay. That turned a 15-point game into a 30-point game."
"I thought Ron Burks and Keith Gabriel gave us a lift in the first half. We did a much better job the last 10 minutes of the first getting it to the rim. In the second half, they were way tougher than us. They came out with a focus and a purpose in the second half. We'll have to come up with something and go from there when we play again."
