CONWAY, S.C. – Essam Mostafa scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Vince Cole hit for 18 points as Coastal Carolina defeated Emory & Henry 76-62 on Sunday afternoon at the HTC Center. Rudi Williams added 12 points for the Chanticleers, who raised their record to 9-5 on the season.
 
Coastal led by as many as 23 points midway through the second half before Emory & Henry made it a bit interesting in the final minutes, cutting the lead to just 11 with less than two minutes remaining. Coastal got its last field goal at the 5:12 mark but managed to convert 9-of-15 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
 
"We were a bit hungover from yesterday's loss. We were the better basketball team, but they outplayed us," said Coastal head coach Cliff Ellis in summation. "I was not pleased with the way we played. We didn't have our legs today and it showed. I thought Vince was a big key for us and Rudi gave us a lift. But we didn't have much going for us today."
 
Coastal hit half of its field goals (17-of-54) but made only 4-of-17 three-point attempts and just 18-of-33 free throws. Coastal did however have a slight edge in rounding at 41-39 thanks to Mostafa's 13 boards, which gave him his eighth double-double of the season and the 17th of his two-year collegiate career.
 
Cole wasted no time in showing his offense on the day. He scored seven points in an early 9-0 run that put the Chanticleers in front 9-2, a lead that they would hold for the rest of the game. Senior Isaac Hippolyte came on midway through the first half and scored six consecutive points from close range to lead a 12-0 run that put the Chants comfortably in front 35-13 with still five minutes remaining in the period. Cole finished the half with 16 points in just 12 minutes of action, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field.
 
Cole missed most of the second half with foul trouble and still finished just two points shy of his career-high of 20, which came against Middle Tennessee State. Other bright spots were the ball-handling of point guard Ebrima Dibba, who had only four points, but dished out six assists and had no turnovers, and the play of reserve Wilfried Likayi, who came off the bench to score eight points and grab seven rebounds in just 24 minutes.
 
Coastal will now head on the road for three conference games: at Troy, at South Alabama, and at Appalachian State. The Chanticleers' next home game will be at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 15, against Appalachian State.

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.