CONWAY, S.C. – Junior guard
Ebrima Dibba scored a season-high 16 points, but Arkansas State pulled away in the final minutes to earn a 73-66 win over Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.
Dibba was one of four players in double figures for the Chanticleers, who slipped to 12-9 overall and 4-5 in the league.
Vince Cole and
Essam Mostafa added 12 points apiece, while
Rudi Williams had 10 points. Freshman forward Norchad Omier had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Arkansas State, which improved to 14-6 and 5-2 in the Sun Belt with the road win.
Coastal scored seven consecutive points to take a 64-60 lead with 3:11 remaining but scored only two more points the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Caleb Fields hit a pair of three-pointers in an 11-0 run for the Red Wolves, which put them in front 71-64 with just 38 seconds remaining in the contest. Fields finished with 12 points, including 10 in the second half. He was one of four players in double figures for Arkansas State. There were 18 lead changes and 10 ties in the game, and neither team led by more than seven points until the final minute.
Dibba was the key for Coastal's early seven-point lead at 18-11, its largest of the game, and its 35-33 advantage at halftime. The junior catalyst repeatedly drove the lane for layups. He had five points in the Chants' 8-0 run that resulted in their seven-point lead and scored CCU's last six points of the opening period on driving layups as well, giving him 11 in the period without a missed shot. Cole added 10 points in the half, while Omier had 10 for the Red Wolves.
Cole got just two more points in the second half, but Mostafa picked up the slack, hitting for eight of his 12 points in the second period. The 6'10" center also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to record his 10th double-double of the season. Dibba also grabbed eight rebounds in a brilliant all-around game, which also included four assists and 7-for-8 shooting.
Dibba also hit for two of Coastal's 10 three-pointers, but Arkansas State countered by making 11 three-pointers of its own, including three in the final 2:25. Coastal shot 24-of-63 from the field (38 percent), while Arkansas State shot a solid 51 percent (28-of-55). The Chanticleers held a 38-32 advantage in rebounding.
The Chanticleers will be on the road next week with two games in Texas. CCU will be at UT Arlington (Thursday) and at Texas State (Saturday) before coming back to the HTC Center for four consecutive home games in mid-February.
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 www.GoCCUsports.com.
