Coastal Carolina University
4-5, 0-2BSC
UNC Asheville
8-1, 2-0BSC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville | 16 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 63 |
| Coastal Carolina | 20 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 52 |
Coastal Succumbs to Second-Half Asheville Rally, Falls 63-52
12/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team was outscored 37-22 in the second half of Monday night's Big South contest as UNC Asheville rallied from a first half deficit to ultimately defeat the Chanticleers 63-52 at The HTC Center.
The loss is Coastal's second in as many games against Big South opponents, and drops the Chants' overall record to 4-5 on the season. Asheville extended its current winning streak to eight games, and is now tied with High Point for first place in the conference at 8-1, 2-0.
Ced Gibson and Alexis Robinson led Coastal with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Robinson added eight rebounds to lead the Chants in the category. Gibson, meanwhile, dished out a team-high five rebounds while also recording two takeaways.
Asheville's Sonora Dengokl finished as the game's leading scorer with 14 points on 4-of-5 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line. Paige Love (11 points) was also 6-of-8 from the line as the pair headlined an Asheville side that made good on 23-of-32 total free throw attempts as Coastal was called for 31 fouls.
The Bulldogs topped the Chants in both field goal percentage (48.6-27.7) and rebounds (35-34), but turned the ball over 24 times to Coastal's 15.
Asheville started the scoring just seven seconds into the game and jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead in the opening four minutes. Coastal responded with a 17-6 run to close the final six minutes of the first quarter and give the Chants a 20-16 lead. Of Coastal's 20 points, nine came off Bulldog turnovers while 11 followed offensive rebounds.
Coastal's first-quarter run proved to be the difference maker of the opening half as each side scored 10 points in the second quarter, allowing the Chants to keep their four-point advantage going into the locker room at the break. Coastal closed the first half with slim advantages in both field goal percentage (35.5-33.3) and rebounds (18-15).
Asheville came out of the halftime break shooting 46.2 percent in the third quarter while steadily chipping away at Coastal's lead. A pair of free throws from Dengokl with just under two minutes left in the third quarter put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time since the opening quarter, and were part of a 10-0 Asheville run to close out the final four minutes of the third.
Coastal ended the final six minutes of the third quarter without a field goal, and the Chants' shooting woes continued into the fourth as they closed the second half just 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) from the field. Asheville, meanwhile, made 12-of-19 attempts from the floor in the second while sinking 11-of-14 free throw attempts.
Monday's win marked the fourth straight for Asheville against Coastal.
The Chants return to action on Friday when they take square off against Wake Forest at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center as part of the CresCom Bank Carolina's Challenge. Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
