CONWAY - Coastal Carolina women's basketball (7-7) opens 2026 at the HTC Center with Marshall (11-3) on Thursday, Jan. 1 and Georgia Southern (9-3) on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tip-off for both games is set for 3:30 p.m. ET or 30 minutes after the men's game concludes and will be streamed live on ESPN+ as well as the Chanticleer Sports Network.

ABOUT THE CHANTS

• The Chanticleers are one of the highest-volume three-point shooting teams in the country, ranking 10th with 9.9 three-pointers per game and 20th with 27.9 three-point attempts per game.
• Currently, Coastal ranks 143rd overall in the NCAA women's basketball NET rankings, one of 10 Sun Belt teams ranked in the top 150.  
• In their final non-conference home game, Coastal dominated Columbia College 103-41 on Monday night. 
• The win marked the 500th career victory for head coach Kevin Pederson. 
• Coastal went 38-81 (47%) from the field and 12-33 (36%) from three-point range, while making 15 of 23 free throws. 
• Through 14 games, Coastal ranks 53rd in the country with 76.3 points per game
• Kristin Williams leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. 

• Marshall is off to a terrific start this season with an 11-3 overall record and 2-0 in Sun Belt play. 
• The Thundering Herd beat James Madison 83-74 in overtime on Dec. 20, snapping the Dukes' 21-game regular season conference winning streak.  
• Timaya Lewis-Eutsey leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game. 
• Juli Fulks is in her second year as the head coach of the Thundering Herd after a 15-20 record last season.  

• Coastal will be meeting Marshall for the 13th time, with the Thundering Herd holding the series lead 7-5.  
• The last time these two teams met was Feb. 15, 2025, where the Chants won 66-57.
• Coastal has won the last two matchups, including the last meeting in Conway on Jan. 29, 2025 (76-64). 

• Georgia Southern stands at 9-3 and 2-0 in Sun Belt play this season and enters the weekend on an eight-game winning streak. 
• The Eagles took down Appalachian State 67-54 on Dec. 20 and plays Old Dominion on Jan. 1 in Norfolk, Va. before coming to Conway. 
• Destiny Garrett leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. 
• Hana Haden is in her second year as the head coach of the Eagles after a 16-18 record last season. 

• In her freshman season, Kinsea Grimes has emerged as one of Coastal's most dynamic players.
• In her first 14 games, Grimes has scored in double figures six times with three 20+ scoring performances, including a season-high 25 against Gardner-Webb. 
• Grimes has collected two double-doubles, with 11 boards and 25 points against Gardner-Webb and 10 rebounds with 19 points against UNCG.
• In the last eight games, Grimes has averaged 13.5 points per game while shooting 42% (37-89) from the field and 43% (13-30) from three. 

• Currently, Coastal ranks 10th in the country with 9.9 made three-pointers per game.
• The Chants are also ranked 20th in the country with 27.9 three-point attempts per contest.
• Both Kristin Williams and Tessa Grady rank in the top-10 in the country for made three-pointers, with Williams in second (46) and Grady tied for 10th (40).
• Williams leads the Sun Belt with 3.3 three-pointers per game while Grady ranks third with 2.9.

• Head Coach Kevin Pederson coined the term "Coastal Chaos" prior to last season due to his philosophy of tough defense and forcing teams to be uncomfortable. 
• The stats backed up the chaotic defense, as the Chants led the Sun Belt with 20.3 turnovers forced per game and ranked second in steals per game with 10.88.
• This season, Coastal ranks tied for 27th in the country with 22.1 turnovers forced per game, and tied for 69th with a turnover margin of 4.1.

• Coastal Carolina Head Coach Kevin Pederson won his 500th career game on Dec. 29, 2025 against Columbia College. 
• He holds 56 victories at Coastal, the fastest coach in program history to reach that mark.