Box Score
Jay Joseph scored a game-high 22 points in his 99th career start |
Conway, SC - Jay Joseph's game-high 22 points weren't enough as the UNC Greensboro men's basketball team fell to Coastal Carolina, 77-72, Thursday night in the first game of a five-game road swing for the Spartans.
Coastal Carolina had the hot hand early and jumped out to a quick 11 point first half lead, 24-13. UNCG struggled from the field early before finally finding its groove midway through the first half. Jay Joseph found his touch and Ray Bristow came off the bench with tremendous energy, scoring a quick 10 points on two 3-pointers. The Spartans chipped away at the Chanticleers lead and stayed with the game plan and went in to the intermission trailing by one, 34-33.
The Spartans took their first lead of the game in the opening moments of the second half when Ricky Hickman's layup gave the team a 35-34 advantage. The Spartans would hang on to their lead until the 16-minute mark when the Chanticleers tied the game at 40-40. The Chanticleers then went on a 24-9 run over the next ten minutes to pull ahead by 15, 64-49. A Jay Joseph 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining pulled the Spartans within seven points, 71-64. Ronnie Taylor buried a 3-pointer after a Coastal Carolina to pull the Spartans within five, 72-67, with 24 seconds left, but the Spartans could get no closer.
With the win, Coastal Carolina improves to 3-4 on the season, while UNCG's record evens at 4-4.
In addition to Joseph's 22 points, Ronnie Taylor added 16 points. Ray Bristow chipped in with 10 points, all coming in the first half of play. Joseph, making his 99th career start this evening, also extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer to 40.
Brandon Newby paced four Chanticleers in double-figures with 16 points. Clint Reed added 15, while E.J. Gallup chipped in with 14. Alvin Green added 11 on the night. The Chanticleers forced UNCG into 21 turnovers resulting in 29 points. The Chants also took advantage of the free throw line, converting 29-of-35 for 83%, compared to UNCG's 8-of-16 for 50%.
"When you go on the road and shoot better than 50% and grab more rebounds, you should win," UNCG head coach Fran McCaffery said. "I thought overall offensively we did some good things tonight, but our defense and our turnovers were a problem."
The Spartans continue their five-game road swing Sunday afternoon at Missouri. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm (EST) in Columbia, MO.
