CONWAY, S.C. – Essam Mostafa had 17 points and Garrick Green added 14 points to lead five players in double figures as Coastal Carolina cruised to a lopsided 102-42 win over outmanned Methodist University on Wednesday night at the HTC Center. The Chanticleers also got 12 points apiece from reserves Josh Uduje, DeShawn Thomas, and Jourdan Smith, as they improved to 6-3 on the season.
 
Coastal had all 11 players score points in the win. For Smith and Ahmard Harvey, it was their first points of the season after seeing action in just one previous game. Smith got 10 of his points in the first half while Harvey came on for six points in the second half. Smith also led the team with nine rebounds in just 23 minutes on the court.
 
"We wanted to get our bench play improved and I think we did that," said head coach Cliff Ellis. "Jourdan and Ahmard played with energy. They missed about three weeks of practice in the preseason, so we wanted to get them in there. But overall, we were the better team and we were supposed to win this game."
 
Coastal wasted little time in taking advantage of the shorter Methodist squad, which didn't have a player taller than 6'3" see action. The 6'9" Mostafa and Rudi Williams combined for an early 11-0 run that put the Chanticleers in front by seven at 15-8. Coastal put the game out of reach with a 20-2 run over the final 4:38 of the half, making the score 48-21 at the break. Smith had eight points on the run and Green found the mark on a pair of three-pointers from the left corner. Coastal had Mostafa and Smith in double figures after just 20 minutes of play.
 
The Chanticleers played without its leader in starting guard Ebrima Dibba, who sat out with an upper-body injury, but it didn't matter in this contest. Coastal continued to pull away to the end with Thomas getting the Chants' last six points and a 60-point advantage. His two free throws got Coastal to the century mark with 1:19 remaining.
 
As expected, Coastal had a sizable 61-23 rebounding advantage. But Coastal's three-point shooting also stood out as five different players made three-pointers and the team hit on 10-of-24 from beyond the arc.
 
Coastal will have a quick turnaround as it will host Regent College at 4 p.m. ET Thursday, its last home game before the Holiday break.
 
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.