PENSACOLA, Fla. – Arin Freeman scored a season-high 26 points and Makaila Cange and Alancia Ramsey each recorded double-doubles as No. 11 seed Coastal Carolina led wire-to-wire in a 79-60 win over No. 14 seed South Alabama in the first round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday afternoon at the Pensacola Bay Center.

With the victory, the Chanticleers advance to face No. 6 Southern Miss in the second round on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. The win was also head coach Kevin Pederson's 470th career victory. 

Coastal held South Alabama scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and jumped to a 7-2 lead. After the Jaguars pulled within five with 2:47 left in the first quarter, Deaja Richardson buried a three and Cange followed with a layup to give the Chants a 19-9 lead at the 2:03 mark. South Alabama scored the final four points of the quarter to make the score 19-13 entering the second period. 

USA trimmed the deficit to five again in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but Richardson and Anaya Barney knocked down threes that sandwiched a Riley Stack jumper for an 8-0 run put Coastal up 31-18 with 5:34 left in the first half. The Chants' lead would never go to single digits the rest of the game as Coastal led 44-32 at intermission. 

CCU scored six of the first eight points in the third quarter as Freeman knocked down a jumper to give Coastal a 50-34 lead with 6:49 left in the period. The Chants held South Alabama to just four made field goals in the quarter and built a 61-46 lead entering the final 10 minutes of play. 

Cange took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of the Chanticleers' first 14 points and knocking down a three-pointer with 2:55 to go that put Coastal up 75-56. Ramsey capped the scoring with a pair of free throws, sending the Chants to the second round with a 79-60 victory. 

Coastal dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Jaugars 46-28 and pulling down 17 offensive boards. CCU also turned 14 South Alabama turnovers into 19 points. 

Freeman hit nine of her 18 field-goal attempts and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Cange finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Ramsey posted 17 points and a game-high 12 boards. Stack finished with five blocks and a career-high six assists. 

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.