Conway, S.C. – Jacob Meyer and Kylan Blackmon each scored 15 points for Coastal Carolina and Braeden MacVicar made two free throws in the final seconds to preserve a 79-75 win over Old Dominion in a Sun Belt Conference basketball game Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center.
 
Coastal finished with five players in double figures, but after holding a 11-point lead with 7:38 remining the Chanticleers had to hang on in the final minute to earn a win that brought them to 5-11 overall and 2-3 in the league.
 
In addition to Blackmon and Meyer, Coastal got 14 points from John Ojiako, MacVicar had a season-high 13 points, and Kevin Easley came off the bench for 10 points, including four in a 10-0 stretch that put the Chants in front by 65-54 with seven minutes remaining. Ojiako, Coastal's strong 6'10" frontline player from Nigeria, also grabbed 11 rebounds to collect his ninth double-double of the season.
 
Old Dominion was led by Chaunce Jenkins and Vasean Allette, who combined for 43 points. Allette had 19 points and tied Ojiako with a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Coastal held the lead for more than 30 minutes and took the lead for good at 53-52 on Blackmon's three-pointer from the left corner, with an assist from point guard Jon Sanders, but holding on to the lead did not prove easy.
 
Coastal made 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch, and that was just enough. Meyer and Blackmon made one 1-of-2 free throws to put Coastal ahead by 77-75 and then watched as Old Dominion's Bryce Baker missed a three-point attempt from the right corner. MacVicar grabbed the rebound and was fouled. His two makes at the line closed the door on the Monarchs.
 
"That was as much better effort than the last time out. We want to be more consistent, but our guys competed the whole game, and I'm proud of them," said Coastal interim head coach Benny Moss. "If we play that kind of defense and we rebound, we'll win some games. We want to get it into big John, and he did a great job for us."
 
In addition to Ojiako's 11 boards, 6'7" Jaland Whitehead grabbed eight rebounds in just 16 minutes, helping Coastal to a 46-36 advantage in that department.
 
Coastal made its first three three-pointers and jumped out to 16-7 lead. Blackmon hit two of those and MacVicar made another, but it was Ojiako's follow tap that gave the Chants an early nine-point lead. MacVicar stepped out for another three-point attempt midway through the first half, and he was fouled. When he converted on all three free-throw attempts, Coastal margin was at 27-17, with seven minutes left in the period.
 
Coastal held the lead for the first 19 minutes before Allette hit a three-pointer from the left corner that resulted in Old Dominion holding a slim 35-34 edge at the break. MacVicar already had eight points, and Blackmon had six. But Whitehead made his presence felt with six points and six rebounds, filling in for Ojiako, who sat out the last 10 minutes of the half after picking up his second foul.
 
Ojiako came back with a vengeance when the second half started, scoring his team's first seven points. But Coastal didn't regain the lead until Blackmon hit another three-pointer midway through the second half, giving the Chants a 53-52 lead. A few minutes later, Easley sandwiched baskets around a three-pointers by Meyer and Henry Abraham, and CCU's lead was up to 11, at 65-54 with 7:38 minutes remaining. That was Coastal's high-water mark for the afternoon.
 
Coastal was resilient in the second half after falling behind by eight in the first three minutes, 47-39. And the Chants improved in the key areas of turnovers and allowing easy points from those mistakes. Seven players combined for 14 assists on 28 baskets, and the Chants had eight players register points.
 
Coastal now heads out to play at Georgia Southern (Jan. 18) and Appalachian State (Jan. 20) next week before coming back home to host Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Following that game, the Chants will take on Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 27.
 
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.