Coastal holds strong at home, beats Bobcats
Coastal Carolina defeated Texas State 72-70 in a thriller in Conway. The Chanticleers extended their winning streak to four, their longest since the 2021-22 season, while Texas State fell to 1-9 on the road.
Both offenses got off to slow starts, especially Coastal Carolina. Texas State jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Chanticleers hit their first shot just over six minutes into the game.
AJ Dancler kept Coastal in the game early, scoring nine of his team’s first 12 points. Josh Beadle later took over the scoring load, and the duo helped the Chanticleers go from down six to up nine with 4:43 remaining in the first half.
Hit it 👌 pic.twitter.com/LK3rNf8W7x
— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) January 23, 2026
The lead did not last long, as Jaelyn Lee and DJ Hall combined to score Texas State’s next 10 points. After a dunk by Makai Willis and a layup by Beadle, Coastal carried a 32-27 lead into halftime.
At the break, Texas State was led by Hall with eight points, while Lee and freshman Robert Fields added five apiece off the bench. Three-point shooting plagued the Bobcats, as they did not make a three in the first half, and fouling allowed Coastal to attempt 17 free throws.
Beadle led Coastal with 15 points and five rebounds at halftime. Dancler ran into foul trouble and did not score after his early nine-point burst, while R.J. Jones was held to four points through 20 minutes.
The Chanticleers opened the second half strong, jumping out to a 39-31 lead and extending the margin to 12 just over six minutes in.
Texas State slowly clawed back, with the turning point coming on a basket by Mark Drone with 11:30 remaining. After a quiet first half, Drone sparked the Bobcats and, along with Hall, cut the deficit to two with five minutes left.
After a Reggie Hill three, Kaden Gumbs responded with Texas State’s first and only three-pointer of the game, coming more than 35 minutes in.
Coastal led 65-61 before Drone took over, scoring nine straight points to give the Bobcats a 70-65 lead with 1:28 remaining. Beadle answered with a jumper to cut the deficit to three.
Head coach Justin Gray inserted Tristan Thompson to defend Drone, and the move paid off with a crucial stop. Jones was fouled on the ensuing possession and made both free throws, making it a one-point game with 43 seconds remaining.
Thompson and the Chanticleer defense delivered another stop, setting up a final possession.
“We had the same situation in practice, where we had to get a stop to win the drill,” Gray said postgame. “It was the same thing out there tonight.”
After a Coastal timeout, Beadle’s drive was cut off and he kicked it out to Jones, who was fouled on a three-point attempt with 1.1 seconds remaining.
Jones made all three free throws to put Coastal up 72-70, marking the second straight game he sealed a close win at the line.
“When I stepped to the line, I knew I was going to knock them down,” Jones said. “It was the same thought, I was going to make them.”
Drone’s desperation half-court heave missed at the buzzer, sealing the Chanticleers’ victory.
Defended home 👌 pic.twitter.com/TnJ0TR8AvD
— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) January 23, 2026
Coastal Carolina improved to 12-9 overall and 5-4 in Sun Belt play. Texas State dropped to 11-10 and 4-5 in conference play and finished winless in Conway as a Sun Belt opponent.
Beadle led all scorers with a career-high 32 points.
“We’re a better team when I’m aggressive,” Beadle said. “It was a good team win all around.”
Dancler finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Jones added 11 points to give Coastal three players in double figures.
Texas State was led by Drone, who scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half. Hall added 23 points and seven rebounds, going 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.
The Chanticleers host Southern Miss (11-10) on Saturday, Jan. 24, while Texas State travels to Harrisonburg to face James Madison (9-11).
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