CONWAY, S.C. – Senior guard Jomaru Brown scored a team-high 17 points and keyed a 7-0 run to end the game as Coastal pulled away in the final minute for a well-earned 66-59 win over South Dakota Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center. He had 11 of his points in the second half, including four in the closing run to lift the Chanticleers to 3-2 on the season.
 
Brown, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, was one of three scorers in double figures for the Chants. The others were junior center Essam Mostafa, who had 14 points and senior guard Henry Abraham, who had 13 points, including 11 in the first half. Mostafa also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the season and the 26th of his career.
 
"That is a good basketball team we beat," said Coastal head coach Cliff Ellis. "We had a good first half and then we were able to turn it on down the stretch. I thought Henry (Abraham) played his best game for us and gave us a spark. And Jimmy Nichols gave us some good energy."
 
The game was tied for the sixth time at 59-59. with :40 left before Nichols, a 6'8" senior forward, put Coastal in front to stay on a baseline drive, with a nifty assist from Jomaru Brown, who then added a pair of free throws and finished the scoring with a steal and breakaway dunk at the buzzer.
 
South Dakota, now 3-4, was led by junior guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt, who had all 17 of his points in the second half. Sophomore center Mihai Carcoana added 13 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Chanticleers jumped out to a 10-3 lead before South Dakota fought back to tie the game at 17-17. At that point, Coastal turned to Linton Brown, who came off the bench to spark a 10-0 run. The senior guard scored on back-to-back buckets as Coastal regained the lead at 27-17. Abraham capped the run with his third three-pointer of the period.
 
The Chants held that margin the rest of the half and led 37-27 at the break, with Abraham carrying the scoring load with 11 points.
 
Perrott-Hunt had 10 points in a 14-1 run for the Coyotes to start the second half as they took the lead at 41-38 and it was never more than a five-point game until the final minute. There were six ties and six lead changes before Coastal put the game away.
 
Coastal shot 24-for-56 for the game (43 percent) and outrebounded South Dakota 40-33. Abraham, a transfer from Eastern Illinois, had three assists and two steals, without a single turnover in 38 minutes of action. And Nichols, a senior forward who transferred to Coastal from Providence, had eight points, including his first 3-pointer as a Chanticleer.
 
Coastal will look to keep its undefeated (3-0) home record next Wednesday when the Chanticleers will host UNC Wilmington at 7:30 p.m. ET. Coastal will also have four home games in December and will open play in the Sun Belt Conference at home on Thursday, Dec. 29 against Louisiana.
 
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.