PENSACOLA, Fla. – Joshua Beadle scored a game-high 25 points, but third-seeded Coastal Carolina saw its season come to an end with a 96–72 loss to 10th-seeded Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday night at the Pensacola Bay Center.

The Chanticleers finished the season 19-13 overall after earning a first-round bye in the tournament. Georgia Southern improved to 20-15 and advanced to the semifinals.

Beadle led Coastal Carolina offensively, shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line. Rasheed Jones added 13 points and six rebounds, while AJ Dancler chipped in nine points on three three-pointers. Tristan Thompson also reached double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Coastal Carolina shot 38 percent from the field and went 9-of-32 from beyond the arc while converting 23-of-30 free throws.

The Chanticleers battled back-and-forth with the Eagles throughout the opening half and briefly grabbed the lead late in the period. Coastal used a 13-5 run midway through the half to erase an early deficit and took a 37-33 advantage with 3:59 remaining after a jumper by Beadle.

Georgia Southern answered down the stretch, closing the half on a 12-5 run. The Eagles carried a narrow 45-42 lead into halftime after a late basket by Tyren Moore
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Georgia Southern seized control early in the second half. The Eagles opened the period with a 10-2 run and later stretched the margin to double digits behind Moore, who finished with 40 points on 16-of-27 shooting, including seven three-pointers.

The Eagles outscored the Chanticleers 51-30 in the second half and forced 14 Coastal turnovers, converting them into 22 points.

Georgia Southern shot 54 percent from the field and 12-of-29 from three-point range in the win.

Nadjrick Peat pulled down seven rebounds for the Chanticleers, who also received seven boards from Thompson.

The loss marked the end of Coastal Carolina's 2025-26 season after the program recorded its highest Sun Belt regular-season finish since joining the league.