KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Despite strong performances from Joshua Beadle and Rasheed Jones, the Coastal Carolina men's basketball team dropped its season opener 76–71 to Western Michigan on Monday night at Read Fieldhouse in the opening round of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
 
Beadle and Jones each tallied 21 points for the Chanticleers (0–1), while AJ Dancler added 18 points, five rebounds, and five steals. Coastal led 34–32 at halftime and battled through a back-and-forth second half that featured six ties and nine lead changes.
 
With the game knotted at 61–61 with just under five minutes remaining, Western Michigan closed on a 15–10 run, fueled by eight made free throws and timely baskets from Jalen Griffith and Max Burton. The Broncos (1–0) sealed the win at the line, converting 28 of 35 free throws while the Chanticleers made 12 of 20 free throw attempts.
 
Griffith led Western Michigan with 15 points, while Lewis and Burton each added 14. Brewer chipped in nine points and eight rebounds. 

Coastal shot 41 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers but was out-rebounded 37–35 and whistled for 29 fouls. Nadjrick Peat anchored the defense with eight rebounds and four blocks, while Jerry Ngopot collected five boards. 

The Chanticleers return to action Friday, Nov. 7, when they host Virginia – Lynchburg for their home opener at the HTC Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. 

POSTGAME NOTES 
• Coastal Carolina fell to 1-2 all-time in the SBC-MAC Challenge and 1-1 against Western Michigan.
• The Broncos snapped the Chanticleers' four-year season-opening winning streak.
• Beadle, Dancler, Ngopot and Peat made their CCU debuts in the starting lineup. DaJohn Craig, Derrick Green and Tristan Thompson made their debuts off the bench.  
• Beadle scored a career-high 21 points. His previous high was 19 against Dartmouth while at Boston College last season. He is the first Chanticleer to score 20 points in his debut since Kevin Easley in 2023 (20 vs. Piedmont; 11/06/23) 
• Jones matched the top scoring performance of his career with 21 points, which he also had against Winthrop last season. He also equaled the top scoring half of his career with 16 first half points, matching the 16 he scored in the second half against Georgia State at home last season. 
• Jones tied his career-high for three-point field goals made with five. 
• Dancler collected a career-high five steals, besting his previous best of four against Niagara as a sophomore.