CONWAY, S.C. – Mallory Bruce scored a game-high 16 points, including 11 in the last two periods, as Coastal Carolina rallied from a seven-point deficit to overtake UNC Greensboro 69-62 in a non-conference game Wednesday night at the HTC Center.
 
Bruce, a 5-11 senior guard, scored seven points in a 10-0 run to end the third quarter and give Coastal a 53-48 lead. Coastal held the lead the rest of the way, building a 12-point margin at 65-53 when Emilia Tenbrock hit a three-pointer with slightly more than 5 minutes left. There were three ties and three lead changes, with neither team holding more than a seven-point advantage until the last stanza.
 
Bruce was helped by Kristin Williams, who had 10 points, in the win that gave Coastal a 3-0 record on the young season. The Chanticleers are 3-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season, where they won their first seven games of the year. Jaila Lee scored 15 points to lead UNCG, which is now 2-1.
 
"We challenged the players at halftime, especially Mallory. She is a veteran and gives us energy. When we have her energy, we go," said Coastal head coach Kevin Pederson, now in his third year. "Our second team really picked us up. We really did a good job defensively in the second half, and we rebounded well down the stretch."
 
Coastal could not coast to the finish line, however, as the Chants went nearly five minutes without a field goal down the stretch.  The game wasn't decided until Williams, a senior guard who transferred from the University of Massachusetts, made a breakaway layup with 11 seconds remaining. UNCG added a last-second bucket to close the scoring.
 
Coastal finished with nine players getting points. As a team, the Chants shot a torrid 15-of-26 (58 percent) from the field in the final two quarters, including 5-of-9 (56 percent) from behind the three-point line.
 
Delanna Carter keyed a 10-2 run to lift Coastal to a 17-15 lead at the end of the first period. Carter scored the first four points in the run and had six points in just 1:20. However, the lead was short-lived as UNCG made a pair of three-pointers to regain the lead, 21-19.
 
Jaylen Ponder was the spark for Coastal in the second quarter as she came off the bench to score seven consecutive points for her team. The game was tied at 23-23, but another pair of treys by UNCG helped the Spartans to a 34-30 halftime advantage. UNCG's Tasia Johnson led all scorers at the break with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.
 
The lead crept up to seven points, UNCG's largest of the game, at 39-32 before Alancia Ramsey single-handedly brought Coastal back. She scored seven points in the quarter and then turned it over to Bruce, who capped a 10-0 run with a couple of lay-ups, giving the Chants a 53-48 lead at the end of three periods.
 
CCU's Williams kept the run going by making a three-pointer to give the Chants a 62-53 margin, capping a 19-5 run since they had trailed 48-43.
 
Ponder finished with nine points, while Ramsey had seven. Carter, Savannah Brooks, and Riley Stack each had six points. Brooks had five assists and nine rebounds to lead her team, which out-rebounded UNCG 35-31. Jayden Marble only had four points, but she led the team with three steals along with three assists.
 
Coastal has just one day off before returning to the HTC Center at 6 p.m. ET on Friday to host Union College of Kentucky. After stepping up to play at N.C. State next Thursday (Nov. 21), the Chanticleers are back home for games against Coker (Nov. 27) and Jacksonville State (Dec. 7).
 
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.