GREENVILLE, S.C. – Junior guard Arin Freeman led the Coastal Carolina women's basketball team to a 78-72 win over the Furman Paladins on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Greenville, S.C. With the win, the Chants improve to 2-2 on the year, while the Paladins drop to 2-2 overall. The win at Furman is the first-ever for the Chanticleers on the Paladins home court, snapping an 11-game home winning streak over CCU.
 
Coastal's Freeman finished with a team-high 15 points, while teammates Makaila Cange (13), Tiara Abron (11), Dalanna Carter (10), and Deaja Richardson (10) added double-digit points. Freeman tallied a game-high four assists with Carter assisting on three of the Chanticleer baskets.
 
Defensively, Coastal forced 23 turnovers that led to 26 points. The Chants was led by Zaria Hurston with six boards with Alancia Ramsey and Carter grabbing five rebounds each, but lost the rebound battle 43-38.
 
Furman was led by Sydney Ryan with 17 points, while getting help from Kate Johnson, Jada Session, and Niveya Henley with 16, 15, and 15 points, respectively. Session grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
The Paladins opened the first period with a 3-0 run before the Chants answered with four quick points in the paint by Freeman to lead 4-3. After the two teams traded baskets with CCU leading 6-5, Furman used a 7-0 burst to take a 12-6 advantage halfway through the first quarter.
 
Coastal's Carter cut the lead to 12-8 with a driving layup only to see Session record the next four points to increase the Paladins lead to 16-8. The Chanticleers closed out the opening quarter with the final three points as Richardson hit a fast break layup and Freeman followed with a 1-of-2 trip at the free throw line.
 
The second quarter action began with Furman increasing its lead to 20-13 after the two teams traded the first three baskets. The Chants answered with a 10-0 surge to take their first lead of the game at 23-20, ignited by a layup by Freeman and capped off by a Cange three-point jump shot.
 
Furman briefly retook the lead with the next four points on baskets by Johnson and James before the Chanticleers' Carter put Coastal back in front for good at 28-24 with a 5-0 spurt that included a three-point bomb by the freshman guard. The two teams traded the next seven baskets with CCU holding its four-point margin at 35-31.  CCU closed the first-half action by doubling up the Paladins 4-2 to lead 39-33 at the halftime intermission.
 
Coastal opened the third quarter with a 5-0 surge, sparked by a 1-of-2 trip at the free throw line by Abron and topped off by a fast break layup by Richardson. After two baskets by the homestanding Paladins, the Ladies in Teal increased their lead to 50-38 with back-to-back three pointers.
 
However, Furman used an 8-1 run to cut its deficit to 51-46 only to see the Chanticleers increase their lead back to seven points at 56-49 at the end of the third quarter.
 
With 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Coastal opened with a 10-3 run to take a 66-52 advantage that included three-point jump shots by Cange and Abron. The Paladins closed the margin to 68-61 with a 9-2 spurt. The Chanticleers added 3-of-4 from the free throw line to match a Furman three-pointer to lead 71-64.
 
With just over a minute left in regulation, 11 of the next 15 points came at the free throw line. Coastal Carolina finished the final minute of action by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line for the final margin of 78-72.
 
Coastal Carolina will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 22, as the Chanticleers will host Charleston Southern for their first home game of the year. The opening tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.