CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team will host the Coastal Carolina Thanksgiving Classic for the second time in the past three seasons, on Friday, Nov. 26 and Sunday, Nov. 28. The Chanticleers will welcome East Tennessee State, UNCG, and Gardner-Webb to the HTC Center as the teams will play two games each.
Coastal is looking to improve on its 4-0 start for the second time in the last three seasons after dispatching UNCW 73-62 on the road last Saturday. CCU will take on the UNCG Spartans on Friday and the ETSU Buccaneers on Sunday, both at 2 p.m. ET, while Gardner-Webb will play ETSU on Friday and UNCG on Sunday, at 4:30 p.m. ET and 11 a.m. ET, respectively.
COASTAL vs. UNCG HISTORY
CCU trails in the overall series between the two programs 8-13 but currently owns a two-game winning streak over the Spartans. The series began in 1974 with Coastal going 4-2 since 2003 while going 2-1 at home, 1-1 on the road, and 1-0 on neutral ground. Head coach
Jaida Williams owns a 2-1 record against the Spartans with the lone loss coming in November 2017 by a score of 60-54.
In the overall series, UNCG have won all 13 games by an average of 20.4 points per game, with six being the closest game in the Spartan victories. On the other side of the court, Coastal Carolina has won their eight contests by an average of 6.4 points per game.
COASTAL vs. ETSU HISTORY
East Tennessee State leads the overall series 7-4, with the last meeting coming in December 2002 in Conway, S.C. with CCU picking up a 72-62 win over the Buccaneers. The series began in 1988 with the Chants with all four of the Chanticleer wins coming at home.
ETSU has won all seven games by an average of 21.9 points per contest while Coastal Carolina has won its four contests by an average of 7.8 points per game. Coach Williams has never faced the Buccaneers.
ABOUT COASTAL
Senior forward
Aja Blount leads the program with an average of 22.3 points per game while newcomer junior
Tyra Brown is second averaging 10.5 points per contest. True freshman
Arin Freeman is leading the team in helping her teammates score as she handing out 4.0 assists per game. The Chants are averaging 86.3 points per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the hardwood.
On the defensive end of the floor, Blount is the team's top rebounder having grabbed 32 on the season to average 8.0 boards per game while true freshman
Janae Camp is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game. Senior
Janeen Camp has blocked 12 shots over the first four games. Defensively, CCU is allowing just 42.0 points per game, while holding opponents to a 28.8 shooting percent.
ABOUT UNCG
UNCG is averaging 58.5 points per game in its first four games of the year while hitting 37.6 percent of their shots. The Spartans offense is led by Aja Boyd, Isys Grady, Pernilla Sorensen, and Jaylynn Brown with 16.0, 12.3, 11.0, and 10.5 points per game, respectively.
Defensively, the Spartans are allowing their opponents to shoot 32.9 percent from the field while allowing 47.5 points per game. Khalis Cain and Grady lead the team with 10 rebounds each. CeCe Crudup and Brown lead the team with eight and seven steals, respectively.
ABOUT ETSU
ETSU is averaging 55.0 points per game in its first four games of the year while hitting 31.9 percent of their shots. The Buccaneers offense is led by the duo of Jaila Roberts and Jakhyia Davis with 14.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.
Defensively, ETSU is allowing their opponents to shoot 41.7 percent from the field while allowing 72.5 points per game. Davis and Roberts lead the team with 6.7 and 4.5 rebounds per game, respectively. Carly Hooks leads the Buccaneers defense with eight steals on the season.
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
