CONWAY - Sophomore forward Alise Davis had a career-high 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Coastal Carolina, but Troy rallied from 17 points down to take an 82-81 win over the Chanticleers Thursday at the HTC Center in what was the Sun Belt opener for both teams.
 
Coastal's senior guard Breelyn Blanding had a chance to win the game in the final seconds as she drove the lane but missed a contested layup as time expired, leaving the Chanticleers with an 8-4 record. It was Coastal's first loss at home this season after starting 6-0 and snapped a nine-game home winning streak that stretched back to last year.
 
Troy, now 10-2, roared back after Coastal had led by 10 or more points for more than two full quarters. Coastal led 66-56 before the Trojans went on a 19-0 run, using full-court pressure to create scoring opportunities. The Trojans took their first lead at 70-69 with less than 5 minutes left.
 
"They turned up the energy and we didn't," said a disappointed head coach Jaida Williams after the game.
 
Sophomore guard Kayla Robinson scored three consecutive points to put Troy in front, 82-79 with a minute remaining, but Coastal's junior guard DJ Williams hit a jumper in the lane to bring the Chanticleers within a point. Troy's Shaterrika O'Neal then missed a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining before Davis grabbed the rebound to set up Blanding's last-second attempt.
 
"We wanted to get down the middle as fast as we could," said coach Williams of the action in the last seconds.
 
Coastal junior guard Caitlin Roche led all scorers with 19 points. DJ Williams added 14 points, and Blanding had 10 points. Coastal finished the game shooting 28-66 (42.4%) while Troy finished hitting 33-87 from the field (38%). Coastal had an advantage by shooting 18 more free throws but made just 21-34.
 
Davis keyed an early spurt that put Coastal on top 14-2 to start the game, as Troy went more than 7 minutes without a field goal (0-14). Reserve sophomore guard Mery Visone then made 3-4 free throws to give the Chanticleers a 15-point lead at 24-9. Coastal tied that margin two other times in the first half and held at 42-29 lead at halftime.
 
Roche had 11 of her points in the first half, while the Coastal defense held the Trojans' leading scorer, junior forward Amber Rivers, scoreless. Roche scored the first four points of the third quarter to give Coastal a 17-point lead, at 46-29. The Chanticleers would match that margin twice more in the third quarter.
 
Coastal returns to action at the HTC Center on Saturday, hosting South Alabama for a 2 p.m. game.