CONWAY, S.C. – Senior guard Antonio Daye scored 22 points to lead four Coastal Carolina players in double figures as the Chanticleers earned a 77-68 win over Georgia State in a Sun Belt Conference game Thursday night at the HTC Center.
 
Daye scored 15 of his points in the second half and helped close the door on Georgia State by making 5-of-6 free throws in the closing minute. Coastal led nearly all the way and was up by as many as 13 points in the first half. However, the Panthers pulled to within three points at 37-34 early in the second half before Coastal scored nine consecutive points and again stretched its lead to double digits at 46-34. Closer to the finish, Coastal clung to a precarious 67-62 advantage before preserving the victory by hitting 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch, with Daye making 4-of-4 in the final 30 seconds.
 
Daye, who also dished out eight assists, was aided in scoring by Josh Uduje, who had 15 points, and Wilfried Likayi and Linton Brown, who had 12 and 11 points, respectively. With the win, Coastal avenged a loss at Georgia State earlier in the season and improved to 11-16 overall and 5-10 in Sun Belt action.
 
Georgia State was led by Jamaine Mann, who had 18 points to lead four players in double figures for his team, but the Panthers slipped to 10-17 overall and 3-12 in the Sun Belt.
 
"We needed that," said Coastal head coach Cliff Ellis. "It was a dog fight, and we got a nice win. We made our free throws, and we made shots for a change. We have had to adapt now that we're playing without Essam (Mostafa). We have to spread the floor."
 
In spreading the floor, the guards took charge. Daye, Uduje, and Linton Brown were a combined 11-of-27 from the field and 18-of-21 from the free throw line. Inside players Jimmy Nichols and Likayi, however, made their presence felt. Nichols had a couple of early buckets that helped Coastal jump on top to stay, and Likayi turned in his best overall effort in a conference game this season. In addition to getting 12 points, the 6'9" forward also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and shot a stellar 5-of-8 from the field while playing all but three minutes of action.
 
Jomaru Brown came off the bench to add a spark to the Coastal offense in the early going. He had five points in a 7-0 run that put the Chants in front 14-7. Daye then took over to fuel an 8-0 run minutes later, with three points and a nice assist, as the Coastal lead grew to 11 at 30-19.
 
The lead was still 11 at halftime, with Coastal holding a 35-24 advantage. Likayi already had nine points, while Jomaru Brown had eight points. Daye contributed seven points and five assists.
 
Overall, Coastal was 23-of-49 from the field (46.9 percent) and hit 9-of-19 shots from long range (47.4 percent). Coastal also cashed in at the foul line, where the Chants made 22-of-25 attempts (88.0 percent). In contrast, the Chanticleers kept Georgia State's three-point shooting in check. The Panthers were just 2-of-11 from behind the arc in the first half and finished 7-of-22.
 
Coastal returns to the HTC Center at 2 p.m. ET Saturday to face Texas State in what will be Senior Day and the final home game of the season for the Chanticleers.
 
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.