MONROE, La. — AJ Dancler scored a career-high 32 points and connected on six 3-pointers as Coastal Carolina built a first half double-digit lead and then withstood a late push to defeat ULM 83-79 in Sun Belt Conference action Sunday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

"The mark of a good team is when you really don't play well but still find a way," Chanticleer head coach Justin Gray said. "To do that on the road, regardless of who or where we're playing, it's really exciting for us to know our program is heading in the right direction."

Coastal Carolina (14-10, 7-5 Sun Belt) came out sharp offensively, opening the game on a 12-4 run and stretching its advantage to double figures late in the first half behind efficient perimeter shooting. The Chanticleers led by as many as 13 before taking a 43-38 lead into halftime.

ULM closed the gap in the second half and briefly pulled even at 65, but Coastal responded with a decisive 15-8 run over the final six minutes to regain control. Derrick Green's three-point play with 2:22 remaining pushed the Chanticleers' lead to 80-73, and Dancler followed with a driving basket at the 1:37 mark to help secure the road win.

Dancler finished 13 of 21 from the field and 6 of 10 from outside the arc, posting his second 30-point game of the season. He also grabbed six rebounds.

"He was very consistent and stayed aggressive on every catch," Gray said. "We knew they were going to come out in a zone, so we needed to have a different mindset. Guys did that early, and it showed. Everybody who got in the game gave us something."

Rasheed Jones finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Coastal, while Tristan Thompson added nine points. The Chanticleers shot 51.6% from the field, knocked down 13 of 27 from 3-point range, and held a 37-30 rebounding advantage.

ULM (3-20, 0-11 Sun Belt) trimmed the deficit to four in the final seconds before turning the ball over on its final possession.

 Krystian Lewis led the Warhawks with 20 points, while Renars Sondors and MJ Russell added 18 points apiece.

Coastal Carolina returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 4, against Arkansas State. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the HTC Center.

POSTGAME NOTES
• Coastal Carolina won for the sixth time in its last seven games.
• The Chants recorded their seventh Sun Belt victory, their most since winning eight during the 2021-22 season.
• CCU posted its seventh road victory of the season, its most since winning seven in 2019-20.
• Coastal defeated ULM for the third consecutive time and improved to 10-4 all-time against the Warhawks while snapping a two-game losing streak in Monroe.
• The Chants shot over 50 percent from the field for the fifth time this season, improving to 5-0 when making half their shots.
• Coastal made double-digit 3-point field goals for the third straight game to bring its season total to 213.
•  Dancler posted his second 30-point game of the season; he had 31 against North Dakota earlier in the year. He also matched his career-high of 32 against Mercyhurst as a sophomore at LeMoyne last season.