CONWAY, S.C. – Junior standout guard
DeVante' Jones hit for a career-high 35 points as Coastal Carolina led from start to finish and easily defeated Alice Lloyd College, 86-63, Friday night at the HTC Center. Jones was one of three Chanticleers to hit for double figures the Chants upped their record to 6-1 overall, with a perfect 6-0 mark at home.
Jones, who eclipsed the career high of 33 points he set in Thursday's win over Delaware State, was helped out by junior forward
Essam Mostafa and junior guard
Deanthony Tipler, who had 12 points apiece. Mostafa also pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds to pick up his third double-double of the season.
Junior guard Bryce Slone scored 13 points to lead the Alice Lloyd Eagles, who stand at 6-1.
In back-to-back nights, Jones hit on a combined 24-of-32 shots, including 14-of-18 in this contest. He set his new career mark with a driving layup with two minutes left in the game, putting CCU in front, 82-63. Jones' basket a bit earlier, with 5:20 left, was the high-water mark for the Chanticleers, who went up by 26 points at 80-54 before taking their foot off the gas pedal in the final minutes. Jones also had a team-high five steals and three assists in 32 minutes of playing time.
"We missed a lot of shots early, but we got the win and we learned some things about ourselves in this game," said head coach
Cliff Ellis. "DJ had another great night. He's playing great basketball. He does it all for us."
Although Coastal never trailed, the Chanticleers didn't hit high gear until the final 4:30 of the first half, when they stretched a five-point lead into a 52-32 halftime lead after going on a 19-4 run. Jones had eight points on the run and finished the first half with 18 points. Tipler contributed all of his 12 points in the first half, while Mostafa had nine points and eight rebounds.
Coastal had another good shooting night, hitting 34-of-67 shots (51 percent) overall, including 7-of-22 from beyond the three-point line, with Jones making four of those from long range. The Chants also held a commanding edge on the boards, 48-26.
Coastal now will get a two-week break before Sun Belt Conference games begin Jan. 1-2 with the Chanticleers hosting Georgia State on back-to-back days.
For complete coverage of CCU men's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at GoCCUsports.com.