CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball program will be back in action as the Chants will host USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the HTC Center at 7 p.m. ET.
The game is CCU's sixth consecutive home game in a present nine-game homestand. The Chants enter the game with a 1-4 record, while the Spartans are 3-4.
LAST TIME OUT
CCU lost to North Carolina Central 70-58 this past Sunday afternoon. The Chants made a valiant comeback attempt after trailing by 17 at the break. The Chants closed to within five points, but fell shot in completing the comeback.
Jon Sanders came off the bench to lead CCU in scoring with 14 points, while
John Ojiako picked up his first double-double with CCU by scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
HISTORY BETWEEN COASTAL AND USC UPSTATE
While the programs are less than four hours apart, this will be only the 22nd meeting between the two teams in a series that started back during the 1968-69 season as both teams were members of the NAIA District 6.
The Chants hold a slim 11-10 edge in the series. The Chants won nine of the first 11 meetings, while the Spartans have won eight of the last 10 games, including last year's 79-78 victory in Spartanburg as the Spartans hit a three-point field goal with less than 10 seconds left to pick up the win.
This will only be the third game played in the 2000s, as 19 of the previous games were played between 1968 and 1985 when both teams were members of the NAIA. There was a 25-year stretch before the two teams played again in 2010, and another 12-year stretch before the teams met again last season.
ABOUT COASTAL
The Chants have four players averaging in double-digits led by freshman
Jacob Meyers and his 14.0 points per game scoring average. Meyers also leads the team in assists (15) and in steals (9).
Kylan Blackmon and
Kevin Easley are averaging 12.4 points per game each with Easley second on the team in rebounds, averaging 7.0 per game. He is also tied for second on the team with 14 assists.
John Ojiako is coming off his first double-double in a CCU uniform after scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds against North Carolina Central. He enters the game averaging 11.2 points per game and his team-leading 8.8 rebounds per game is currently fifth in the Sun Belt Conference.
ABOUT USC UPSTATE
USCU enters the game with a 3-4 record and are coming off a 79-44 win over Voorhees. The Spartans went into East Carolina and defeated the Pirates 83-81 and also have a close road loss at Vanderbilt, 74-67.
Trae Broadnax leads the Spartans in scoring averaging 13.6 points per game. He is shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 36.4 percent on his three-point attempts and 76.5 percent at the free throw line. He is also averaging 4.4 rebounds per game and has a team-leading 23 assists.
Justin Bailey is averaging 12.6 points per game and leads the team in steals with 13. Ahmir Langlais is the team's leader in rebounds averaging 6.7 per game and his 10 blocked shots also leads the Spartans. He averages 9.7 points per game.
CCU and USCU can be heard on WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM and can be watched live on ESPN+. Links for both along with live stats can be found at www.GoCCUSports.com.
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.
