CONWAY, S.C. – Senior guard Vince Cole hit for 20 points, but Coastal Carolina fell behind early and never recovered as Georgia State coasted to a 61-50 win over the Chanticleers in a Sun Belt Conference game Thursday night at the HTC Center.

It was the sixth time this season that Cole has scored 20 or more points and the 14th consecutive time the sharp-shooting guard has tallied in double figures. But Coastal only had one other player in double figures as it fell to 12-11 overall and 4-7 in the league.
 
Josh Uduje got all 11 of his points in the second half and Rudi Williams added eight points, but Coastal got only four points and four rebounds from Essam Mostafa, its top scorer and top rebounder on the season. The 50 points were the Chants' lowest point total of the season.
 
Kane Williams scored 18 points to lead three players in double figures for Georgia State, which improved to 10-10 overall and 3-6 in the conference, and avenged a 76-72 loss to Coastal earlier in the season.
 
"I thought Vince Cole gave us a chance, and he played his best all-around game," said Coastal head coach Cliff Ellis. "This was a physical game. They let us play tonight and they were a more physical team. Our defense was fine, but we couldn't get a bucket around the basket. We just missed shots."
 
Coastal grabbed the early lead at 7-2 but then went more than eight minutes without a point as Georgia State went on a draining 20-4 run and took a commanding 30-15 lead with less than four minutes left in the first half. At one point, the Chants went just 1-for-15 from the floor. Cole had nine points to keep his team within striking range at the break, down by just 32-21.
 
However, Coastal never made a big run. Coastal had cut the lead to seven on Uduje's follow tap-in bucket, making the score 42-35. But Georgia State regrouped to take its largest lead at 17 points at 56-39 with 5:39 left in the game. Uduje hit three three-pointers in the closing two minutes, but the Panthers were already out of reach.
 
Cole hit 7-of-19 shots (37 percent) on the night, but the rest of his team went just 9-for-40 (22 percent). Cole also led his team with seven rebounds to go along with three steals and an assist. Wilfried Likayi and Ebrima Dibba each added six rebounds, but Coastal was outrebounded on the night 44-42.
 
Coastal will continue its final home stretch of the season with three more games over the next two weeks. The Chants will host Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday and welcome South Alabama and Troy to Conway, S.C. next week.
 
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.