Feb. 12, 2011

Box Score

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Anthony Raffa scored a career-high with 23 points and Coastal Carolina extended the nation's longest winning streak to 22 with a 61-56 victory over Winthrop Saturday evening from the Winthrop Coliseum.

The Chanticleers improved to 24-2 overall and 15-0 in the Big South Conference and tied the 2009-10 team for the most conference wins in a season in school history.

Sam McLaurin added 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Chad Gray finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Desmond Holloway chipped in with nine points and 12 rebounds and failed to score in double figures for the first time this season.

Robbie Dreher led Winthrop with 16 points to go along with nine rebounds, while Reggie Middleton added 13 points. Charles Corbin registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Winthrop built a 28-20 lead just before halftime and extended it to 11 points on its first possession of the second half on a three-pointer from Reggie Middleton.

The Chanticleers responded with a 10-0 run thereafter to cut the Eagle lead to one point at 31-30 on a layup from McLaurin. The Eagles quickly pushed their lead up to five points on consecutive baskets from Corbin and Dreher.

Gray hit a three-pointer from the wing and Holloway sunk a jumper at the free line to even the score at 35-35 before Winthrop took its final lead of the game on a basket by Gamble.

Raffa answered with a layup and Greenwood converted a breakaway layup to push Coastal ahead 39-37 and give the Chants their first lead since the 14:20 mark of the first half.

Winthrop (12-13, 8-7) tied the score at 40-40 with just under eight minutes to play, but Coastal got two baskets from Raffa and a three-pointer from Gray to take its largest lead of the game at 47-40.

The Chants went on to lead by as many as 10 points and never let Winthrop any closer than five points.

Coastal Carolina shot 56.5 percent in the second half and outscored Winthrop 41-28. The Eagles made just nine field goals in the second half and shot just 31.0 percent.

Coastal Carolina shot just 34.6 percent from the field and missed all five of its three-point field goals in the first half en route to its lowest scoring output in a half this season.

The Chanticleers led by three points 4:34 into the game on a fastbreak layup from Kierre Greenwood, but Winthrop answered with a 9-0 run over the next 3:19 that was capped by five straight points from Dreher.

The Eagles built an 18-10 lead with 8:30 left in the first half before Raffa scored the next six points to pull the Chanticleers within two points with just over 5:21 to play.

The two teams traded baskets over the ensuing possessions before McLaurin's dunk on the baseline cut the Eagle deficit to three points at the 1:45 mark. Jones answered with a three-pointer at the other end and Valentine scored on a layup seconds later to give Winthrop a 28-20 lead at hafltime.

The Eagles shot 28.9 percent in the first half and opened the game 1-for-12 from the field.

Coastal Carolina returns to action Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. when the Chanticleers host Gardner-Webb from Kimbel Arena.