CONWAY – Junior guard Zacharyia Esmon scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to lift the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball team to a 63-54 win over UNC Greensboro Wednesday night at the HTC Center. The win puts the Chanticleers at 2-0 for the season, while UNC Greensboro dropped to 1-2.
Esmon, a transfer from Walters State (TN) Community College, got scoring support from senior guard DJ Williams, who had 17 points and senior guard Torrie Cash, who had 12. Esmon scored 10 points on a 16-0 Coastal run early in the final period to lift the Chanticleers to a commanding 53-40 advantage, its largest lead of the night.
The Spartans pulled to within 59-54 in the final minute before Coastal sealed the victory by hitting 4-4 free throws in the final 20 seconds of the game.
UNC Greensboro was led by senior guard Nadine Soliman, the school’s second all-time leading scorer, who had 17 points along with a team-high six rebounds. In their previous two games, the Spartans lost to Richmond before defeating Wake Forest.
The Chants shot 22-of-59 from the field (37 percent) and matched UNC Greensboro in rebounding with 37 apiece. Coastal also was on target from the charity stripe, hitting 12-of-14 free throws. Williams made all six of her free-throw chances and led the team with seven rebounds.
Coastal fell behind early but went on a 9-0 run to take a 19-15 lead early in the second period. The game was knotted five times before halftime, and it was tied at 28-28 at the break. Williams had nine points at the half, while Soliman had nine for UNCG.
The Chanticleers, which opened the season with a 76-69 home win over Arkansas at Pine Bluff, are back in action Sunday, Nov. 17, on the road at in-state foe Wofford with a 2 p.m. scheduled tip.
Courtesy: Coastal Carolina Athletics
