CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball program will be back in action as the Chants will host North Carolina A&T on Thursday, Dec. 21, at the HTC Center at 5 p.m. ET.
This will be the Chants final non-conference game and the final game before the Christmas holidays.
LAST TIME OUT
CCU went on the road for the first time this season and fell in a tight matchup with the College of Charleston, 84-81.
CCU trailed 71-53 with 5:41 left in the game before a furious comeback saw the Chants cut the lead to 81-80 with seven seconds left in the game before the Cougars closed the game out at the free throw line.
Jon Sanders scored a game-high 17 points and added a game-high six assists in the loss.
Ian Granja came off the bench to score 13 points, while
John Ojiako picked up his sixth double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Freshman
Jacob Meyer added 11 points.
HISTORY BETWEEN COASTAL AND NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Tonight's action is only the fourth meeting between the two programs, and NCA&T has won each of the three previous meetings. The series started in 1987 with each team hosting a game. Both games happened in February with the Aggies winning 64-47 in Conway and just two weeks later defeated CCU 97-58 in Greensboro, N.C.
The final meeting in the series didn't come until 21 years later as NCA&T defeated CCU 72-60 in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Global Sports Classic in December of 2008.
ABOUT COASTAL
Through the first third of the season, CCU has four players averaging double figures led by true freshman
Jacob Meyers and his 13.3 points per game average. He continues to show his all-around game as he is tied for the team-lead in both assists (29) and steals (14). His 5.2 rebounds per game average is third on the team.
Kylan Blackmon is averaging 13.2 points per game and leads the Chants with 22 three-point field goals.
Kevin Easley is scoring at a 10.1 points per game clip and is second in rebounding averaging 6.2 per game.
John Ojiako is averaging 12.8 points per game and a Sun Belt Conference leading 10.2 rebounds per game. Ojiako is also first in the conference in field goal percentage (67.1), and offensive rebounds per game (4.10). His six double-doubles are second in the conference and ninth nationally, while his 102 total rebounds are second in the conference and eighth nationally.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA A&T
The Aggies enter the game with a 1-10 record and tonight's action will be their 10th game of the season to be played either on the road or at a neutral location.
NCA&T is presently continuing a road swing which included the past two games at the Chris Paul HBCU Challenge, where they won their first game of the season over Texas Southern (85-79) and lost a close game with Jackson State (60-68).
Landon Glasper leads NCA&T in scoring averaging 19.1 points per game. He scored 47 points during the two-game Chris Paul HBCU Challenge and that included a 31-point outburst against Texas Southern. He has a team-best 24 three-point field goals and is shooting 81 percent at the free throw line.
Camian Shell averages 10.8 points per game and starts the Aggies offense with 63 assists on the season. He is the team's top free throw shooter at 81.5 percent.
Jeremy Robinson averages 10.1 points per game and his 54.5 percent field goal shooting is second on the team, while Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes is the top performer off the bench scoring 5.5 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game. He has a team-high 15 blocked shots and his 56.5 percent field goal shooting is tops on the team.
CCU and NCA&T 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.
