That's 20 in a row for the Chants!

Chants Coast Past VMI For 20th Straight Win


http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...n/6184015.jpeg Chad Gray had 22 points and five rebounds Saturday against VMI.

Feb. 5, 2011
Box Score CONWAY, S.C. – Four Chanticleers scored in double figures and Coastal Carolina won its 20th straight game following a 99-86 win over VMI Saturday afternoon from Kimbel Arena.

Desmond Holloway turned in his third double-double of the season and finished with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The Indianapolis, Ind., native was also 10-for-12 from the charity stripe line and set a new career-high in free throws made.

Chad Gray added 22 points and five rebounds, while Danny Nieman scored a season-high 20 points to go along with six assists and a career-high four three-pointers.

Sam McLaurin finished with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to register his third double-double of the season and help the Chants hold a 54-40 edge in rebounding. Kierre Greenwood recorded a game-high eight assists for the Chants, who own the second-longest winning streak in the NCAA.

Coastal Carolina (22-2, 13-0) won its 17th straight Big South Conference game and owns the second-longest league winning streak in conference history. The win also clinched a home game in the opening round of the Big South Tournament in March.

Keith Gabriel led VMI with 21 points and was 6-for-9 from three-point range. Austin Kenon and Ron Burks finished with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

Coastal led 24-10 midway through the first half, but an 8-0 run by VMI that included back-to-back three pointers from Gabriel, pulled the Keydets to within six points at the 9:29 mark. The Chanticleers, however, answered with a 14-0 lead of their own to take a 38-18 lead with just over five minutes before halftime.

Gabriel cut the Chanticleer lead to 12 points with a three-pointer minutes before the half, but Coastal used a 10-3 run over the final 1:35 to take a 53-34 advantage into intermission.

VMI (12-11, 5-8) came into Saturday as the nation’s highest-scoring team, averaging 91.5 points per game. But the Keydets shot 33.3 percent from the floor in the opening half (12-of-36) en route to a 53-34 halftime deficit.

Coastal scored the first three baskets of the second half and pushed its lead to 25 points at 59-34 before D.J. Covington hit a free throw to hault the scoring draught.

Holloway gave the Chants a 86-65 lead with a pair of free throws with just under four minutes left in the game, but the Keydets used a 14-4 run over the next 1:48 to cut the deficit to 11 points.

VMI appeared to be in position for another defensive stop, but Nieman just beat the shot clock horn and nailed his fourth three-pointer of the day to up the Coastal lead to 14 points.

Coastal returns to action Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Chants travel to Clinton, S.C., to take on Presbyterian from the Templeton Center.