CONWAY – Junior guard Keishawn Brewton scored a game-high 24 points and senior guard Tyrell Gumbs-Frater added 21 points, but Coastal Carolina still dropped its season-opener, 75-74, to Campbell Tuesday night at the HTC Center.
Coastal went scoreless over the final two minutes and hit just 8-16 free throws on the night. Still, the Chanticleers had a chance in the final second, but sophomore Ebrima Dibba’s half court toss was off the mark.
Campbell had three players in double figures, led by 16 points from senior Cory Gensler. The simple difference, however, came at the free throw line, where Coastal was just 8-16 while Campbell was a perfect 15-15.
“We have to learn from this game,” said Coastal head coach Cliff Ellis. “There’s a long way to go. Campbell is a good team, and this was a dogfight. Brewton and Gumbs-Frater hit big shots for us, but we have to get more scoring around therm.”
Although a junior, Brewton, from Spartanburg, S.C., was playing his first game for Coastal after transferring from Chipola Junior College. He got 15 of his points in the second half and was 6-7 from the free throw line. Gumbs-Frater, an experienced 3-point threat, got his 21 points in just 19 minutes.
There were 13 lead changes in the game, and neither team held a double-digit lead. Brewton scored nine points in the first half and helped the Chanticleers to an eight-point lead, at 24-16, before Campbell battled back in the final four minutes of the half. From there, the Fighting Camels rallied behind Jesus Carralero (5 points) to outscore Coastal, 18-10, to take a 33-30 lead at the half.
Gumbs-Frater hit consecutive baskets to lift Coastal to a 62-59 lead mid-way through the second half, but Campbell scored eight straight to take a 67-62 lead and stayed in front the rest of the way.
Coastal shot 29-60 (48%) from the field and held a 42-31 edge in rebounding, with junior transfer Garrick Green grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Campbell made only 24 field goals, but half of them were 3-pointers (12-34). Gensler got 12 of his 16 points from behind the arch, on 4-8 three-point shooting.
The Chants will be back in action Friday, Nov. 8, when they host Hampden-Sydney at 7:30 p.m. The game is part of a CCU double-header with the first action of the evening coming win the CCU women’s team plays host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 5 p.m.
Courtesy: Coastal Carolina Athletics