Box Score CONWAY, S.C. – Makaila Cange scored a game-high 19 points but it wasn't enough as James Madison pulled away in the final minutes for a 69-60 win over Coastal Carolina in a Sun Belt Conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at the HTC Center.
Cange, a 5'11" senior from Douglasville, Ga., also had a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Chanticleers, who had four players score in double figures.
Deaja Richardson had 12 points while
Alancia Ramsey and
Arin Freeman added 10 points apiece for Coastal, which slipped to 10-20 overall and 4-13 in the conference.
James Madison got 17 points from Annalicia Goodman and had eight players register points in a balanced scoring effort that lifted the Dukes to 20-10 overall and 12-6 in the league.
James Madison led from start to finish but Coastal pulled to within a point on five different occasions. The Dukes led by as many as 15 points but it was just 54-50 with three minutes remaining in the contest. From there, however, James Madison closed with a 14-6 run that included making 7-of-8 free throw attempts.
James Madison scored seven consecutive points from close range in the early going to take a 9-2 lead before Coastal countered with the next six points to pull within a point. Goodman hit three consecutive buckets to lead the Dukes' 12-2 run in the second quarter as JMU took a 15-point lead at 35-20, the largest lead of the game.
From that point, Coastal mounted another rally with Cange hitting a pair of threes and a couple foul shots to make it 35-27. The teams traded baskets in the final minute of the second quarter to make it 40-32 at the break. Cange led the way with 12 points for the Chanticleers in the first half, while Goodman had nine points on four layups and a free throw to lead JMU.
Cange wasn't done leading Coastal's scoring effort as the versatile frontline player scored five points in a 7-0 run to open the third quarter, bringing the Chants again to within a point at 40-39. Another inside bucket by Cange made it 49-48 with a minute left in the third quarter before the Chants missed on two chances to take their first lead of the game on their next possession. Coastal kept it to within four points until the last three minutes when JMU pulled away by making free throws that added up to a 69-56 lead before Freeman and Richardson closed the scoring with layups in the final 30 seconds.
It was the 21st time Cange has scored at least 10 points in a game this season. She hit on 6-of-11 shots, and as a team Coastal was 23-of-64 (36 percent). Ramsey and Richardson helped Cange on the boards with seven and five rebounds. James Madison's Perry McDaniel led all players with 10 rebounds, leading James Madison to a 45-38 rebounding advantage.
Coastal will finish the regular season with a home contest against Georgia State at 5 p.m. (ET) Friday before heading to the conference tournament at the Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center, beginning March 5.
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.
