Conway, S.C. – Kristin Williams scored 18 points, including 13 in the final quarter, as Coastal clawed its way to a 64-58 win over Georgia Southern in a Sun Belt conference women's basketball game Wednesday night at the HTC Center.
 
Williams, who made all three of her three-point attempts in the last quarter, was one of three players in double figures for Coastal, which improved to 20-7 overall and 10-5 in the conference, with its seventh consecutive win. Jaylen Ponder finished with 13 points while Alancia Ramsey added 11 points, despite getting in foul trouble.  Jayden Marable and Riley Stack contributed seven points apiece. Coastal played without its leading scorer Savannah Brooks, who was out with an injury.
 
The win gives the Coastal women their third 20-win season since 1999.
 
But it was Williams who stepped up in the final minute to break a 58-58 tie by hitting a go-ahead three-pointer and adding a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. Ramsey added a free throw in between, and also grabbed a key rebound on Georgia Southern's missed shot, when the Eagles trailed by just three.
 
"What a great second half for Kristin Williams," noted Coastal head coach Kevin Pederson after the game. "We desperately needed someone to step up and make big shots, and that was Kristin. She wants that big shot. I told her, 'I need you to go 5-of-7 in threes,' and she went 4-of-6."
 
Coastal was in front by jut 42-41 heading into the final stanza, when Williams went to work. She was 3-of-3 from beyond the three-point line and made all four of her free throw attempts.
 
Leah Johnson, a 6'3" center, had 20 points and 18 rebounds for Georgia Southern, which slipped to 12-16 overall and 4-11 in the league. Coastal also defeated the Eagles earlier in the season, 67-56.
 
Coastal jumped out to a 6-0 lead but the Chants found themselves down by two, 14-12, at the end of the first quarter. Georgia Southern then went on an 8-2 run to start the next quarter and led by eight, as Coastal suffered a cold spell from the field and had three starters in early foul trouble. Ponder tried to rally the Chants with six of her team's last eight points in the second quarter, but they were still down by 29-22 at the half.
 
Ponder added five more points in Coastal's spirited 10-2 run to begin the third quarter, as the Chants rallied to take a 32-31 lead on a three-pointer by Marable. The two teams then traded scoring runs before Coastal clung to a 42-41 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Williams took over to start the final quarter, with eight consecutive points for the Chants and a perfect assist that led to Ponder's layup, giving Coastal a 54-47 lead with 4:30 left in the contest. However, Georgia Southern fought back to tie the game at 54-54 and again at 58-58 before Williams closed the door on the Eagles in the final minute.
 
Coastal shot 41 percent from the field for the game (22-of-54) and made eight three pointers, including four by Williams. Ponder led Coastal with six rebounds, while Ramsey, Mallory Bruce and Dalanna Carter each had five.
 
Coastal will stay in town to play its final three regular season games over the next nine days, starting with a matchup against Arkansas State at 1 p.m. Saturday.  Next week the Chants will host Old Dominion at 5 p.m. Wednesday and then Appalachian State at 5 p.m. Friday.
 
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.