Men's Basketball Opens League Play at High Point
12/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina, the Big South Conference preseason favorite, opens league play Wednesday night at reigning regular season champion High Point. Coastal and High Point enter the contest with identical 9-3 records through the conclusion of non-conference play.
Game Information
Date / Time: Wed., Dec. 31, 2014 / 7:00 p.m.
Site: High Point, N.C. / Millis Center
Audio Broadcast: Chanticleer Sports Network
Radio: WSEA Sports Radio 100.3 "The Team"
Online Audio Link: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/coastal/
Talent: Aaron Marks (play-by-play)
Live Video: Big South Network
Live Stats: HighPointPanthers.com
Twitter Updates: @GoCCUSports
Coastal Carolina Game Notes
Coastal Carolina Versus High Point
• Coastal Carolina and High Point have met 33 times on the basketball court.
• Coastal holds the series lead 18-15 and has won six of the last 10 meetings.
• However, the Panthers have won the last three meetings in the series, a 70-65 win in Conway on Feb. 9, 2012 and a 74-62 victory in High Point Feb. 9, 2013 and a 77-74 triumph in Conway on Feb. 5, 2014.
• Coastal's most recent win at the Panthers' Millis Center came on New Year's Eve during the 2011-12 season. The Chants took a 55-52 victory in that meeting.
Last Time Out
• Coastal Carolina closed its non-conference schedule with a 72-55 win at Central Arkansas on Dec. 21.
• Coastal trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but used a 30-10 run over the final four minutes of the first period and the opening eight minutes of the second to secure the victory.
• Warren Gillis recorded his second career double-double with a 18-point, 10-rebound effort. Badou Diagne scored 17 and Elijah Wilson chipped in 11.
Up Next
• Coastal continues its strong Big South season opening schedule with a home game against 2012-13 regular season champion Charleston Southern. The Chants and Bucs tip at 2:00 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 3.
Chanticleers In Big South Conference Openers
• Coastal Carolina is 22-7 all-time in Big South Conference openers including 5-2 under the direction of head coach Cliff Ellis.
• CCU's 22-7 conference opener record is tied with UNC Asheville for tops among Big South institutions.
• CCU has won nine of its last 12 Big South openers.
• Coastal fell 70-58 at Charleston Southern in last season's conference opener. The Buccaneers used 13 3-pointers to earn the victory.
• This is the second consecutive year the Chanticleers are opening their conference slate at the reigning regular season champion.
9-3 Non-Conference Record
• Coastal Carolina closed its non-conference schedule with a 9-3 record, including a perfect 5-0 home record. The Chanticleers started the season 1-1 with a 13-point loss at UCLA before rolling three straight victories. A setback to Chattanooga in the title game of Battle 4 Atlantis mainland bracket preceded a four-game win streak. During the four-game win streak, the Chants traveled to and defeated Auburn along with picking up a pair of wins against South Carolina State. A tough loss at Ole Miss was followed by a final non-conference victory at Central Arkansas.
• Coastal averaged 70.2 points for, while allowing just 53.8 points against through its non-conference schedule. In addition, the Chants controlled the boards, averaging a +12.2 rebounding margin.
No. 0 With Double-Double No. 2
• Senior guard Warren Gillis, who wears No. 0, recorded his second career double-double with his 18-point, 10-rebound performance at Central Arkansas on Dec. 21. Gillis entered the half with six points and six rebounds; he then scored 12 points and grabbed four boards in the second half to leading Coastal's second-half comeback against the Bears. He secured the double-double with his aggressive defensive rebound with 20 seconds to play in the game.
• Gillis' first double-double was a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a 73-54 home rout of Winthrop on the final day of the 2012-13 regular season.
No Easy Start For The Defending Tournament Champions
• Coastal Carolina, the defending Big South Tournament champions, opens its Big South Conference schedule with a pair of marquee matchups. The Chants' first conference game is at defending Big South regular season champion High Point, who is led by the reigning Big South Player of the Year John Brown. The men of Conway then open the 2015 calendar year on Jan. 3, hosting 2012-13 Big South regular season champion Charleston Southern.
• Coastal and High Point, which were voted first and second, respectively, in the league's preseason poll, led the Big South's non-conference efforts as both programs compiled a 9-3 record. The Chants' non-conference slate was highlighted by a victory as Auburn, while the Panthers claimed the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic championship.
