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Final Stats

CONWAY (BigSouthSports.com) - A sharp-shooting performance by sophomore guard Elijah Wilson (career-high 29 points, 7 three-pointers) and a stifling second-half defensive effort helped No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina rally from a halftime deficit to defeat No. 6 seed UNC Asheville, 74-57, during Friday evening's 2015 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Men's Basketball Championship quarterfinal at The HTC Center.

Trailing 31-27 at the intermission, the Chanticleers turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Bulldogs to 28.6 percent (8-of-28) from the field after halftime. They limited Asheville standout guard Andrew Rowsey to just two second-half points and 14 tallies for the game, just two days after Rowsey exploded for 34 points during the Bulldogs' quarterfinal win over No. 11 seed Liberty. Coastal Carolina's active defense finished the game with 14 steals and eight blocked shots.

Wilson took care of things at the offensive end, notching 20 of his career-high 29 points after halftime, including 11 during a 24-4 run which gave the Chanticleers the lead for good. He shot 7-of-10 from three-point range on the night, setting a career high for three-pointers made and equaling the Big South quarterfinal record.

Coastal Carolina improves to 22-9, as Wilson was joined in double figures by Warren Gillis (14 points) and Shivaughn Wiggins (11 points, 7 assists).

The Chanticleers also received notable contributions from Marcus Freeman (game-high 10 rebounds), Badou Diagne (4 steals, 3 blocks) and Tristian Curtis (3 blocks).

Tournament host and defending champion Coastal Carolina advances to a semifinal matchup with No. 7 seed Gardner-Webb, Saturday at 2 p.m. The Runnin' Bulldogs upset No. 2 seed High Point, 72-71 in overtime, earlier Friday evening.

Asheville's 2014-15 season ends at 15-16 despite a strong performance off the bench by freshman Ahmad Thomas, who paced the Bulldogs in both points (16) and rebounds (8).

The Bulldogs finished the contest at just 37.7 percent (20-of-53) from the field and 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from three-point range, while committing 21 turnovers. Asheville's 57 points were the Bulldogs' fewest since a 68-56 loss at Coastal Carolina on Feb. 3.

Wilson opened the evening's first scoring run with a pair of three-pointers. Gillis then drained a jumper 13:12 before halftime, closing out a 10-1 Chanticleers burst with the home team on top, 13-8.

Asheville then outscored Coastal Carolina, 18-5, over the next 6:16, sparked by six Rowsey points. His free throw at the 6:56 mark gave the blue-clad Bulldogs a 26-18 advantage.

But Asheville committed six turnovers before scoring its next point, enabling Coastal Carolina to reclaim the lead with a 9-0 run and excite the overflow crowd. Wiggins' foul shot 2:30 before halftime briefly gave the Chanticleers a 27-26 edge.

The Bulldogs finished off the opening half with five straight points, taking a 31-27 lead into the intermission.

Rowsey's 12 first-half points paced all scorers, while Wilson tallied nine points for the Chanticleers on three triples.

Asheville made just one of its first 16 field goal attempts to start the second half. Coastal Carolina took full advantage of the Bulldogs' scoring woes, ripping off a decisive 24-4 run to convert a six-point deficit into a 14-point lead.

Wilson connected on three of his triples during the prolonged surge and a trifecta by Michel Enanga finished off the run with the Chanticleers leading 53-39 with 7:40 remaining on the second-half clock.

Coastal Carolina's advantage remained in double figures the rest of the way, as the Chanticleers became the only higher seed to win on a wild quarterfinal Friday in Conway.

Postgame Quotes:

Coastal Carolina Head Coach Cliff Ellis:
"We played great defense and then Elijah [Wilson] gave us a tremendous spark tonight. His shots really opened things up for us. I'm proud of our team for the win and the effort they put into it. It was a hard-fought game, and we can't bask in anything. We have to come back in about 14 hours and do it all over again."

"Warren [Gillis]'s defense on Andrew Rowsey was superb tonight."

"We were settling too much for threes in the first half and had to touch the paint more."

"It'll be a late night, but we have to get our game plan for Gardner-Webb in before we go to bed. It's a quick turnaround. This is a test for everyone tomorrow. We know that Jerome Hill is a load inside and they beat us twice. We have all the respect in the world for them."

UNC Asheville Head Coach Nick McDevitt:
"First of all, congratulations to Coastal. They played really well. I thought we played well for the first 25 minutes of the game and then got a little disorganized and they went on a little run. Elijah Wilson caught fire and made some big shots. We just turned the ball over too much to win the game. In order to beat a quality team like Coastal at their place, it's very challenging. We dug ourselves too big of a hole."

"I didn't think we were playing selfish. We were just playing a little too individual. We had several guys trying to make a play and stopped moving the basketball. We were just trying to drive the ball. Against an athletic bunch like Coastal, that's not a recipe for success. To have nine assists tells you the lack of ball movement we had."

"I'm looking forward to having a lot of these guys back. We have a lot of hard work in front of us. The league is getting better and better. I'm looking forward to next year already."