Warhawks fall to Coastal Carolina in First Round of SBC Championship, 75-71

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Coastal Carolina freshman guard Jacob Meyer exploded for a career-high 32 points as the 13th seed Chanticleers knocked off 12th seed ULM, 75-71, Tuesday night in the first round of the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Pensacola Bay Center.

ULM’s season ends with a record of 11-19. Tyreese Watson led the Warhawks with a career-high 22 points while adding five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals. Senior Tyreke Locure had 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in his final game at ULM, while fellow senior Nika Metskhvarishvili had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals in his final game in a Warhawk uniform.

Meyer, the Sun Belt Conference’s seventh-leading scorer at 14.9 points per game entering Tuesday’s game, was snubbed on the SBC All-Conference teams and postseason awards, announced on Monday. He shot 9-for-15 from the field, 4-for-5 from 3-point range and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line with six rebounds and five assists. No other Chanticleer reached double figures. ULM limited All-SBC Third Team selection John Ojiako, who was averaging a double-double, to six points and seven rebounds.

CCU did a large amount of its damage from the 3-point line knocking down 10-of-16 (63%) treys on the evening. The Chanticleers shot 52% (25-of-48) from the field and 65% (15-of-23) at the free throw line. ULM shot 36% (24-of-67) from the field, 25% (4-of-16) from 3-point range and 68% (19-of-28) at the free throw line.

The Warhawks pushed out to a 7-3 lead in the early minutes following a 3-point play by Jalen Bolden and a free throw by Locure. CCU then hit its next nine shots from the field, building a 10-point lead, 26-16, on a 3-pointer by Meyer with 10:10 left in the first half.

ULM cut the deficit to seven, 26-19, on a jumper by Jacob Wilson with 8:21 left, but CCU extended the lead out to 13, 32-19, on free throws by Meyer, with 6:32 left until halftime.

The Warhawks never let the Chanticleers push the lead past 13, but could never get closer than nine down the stretch of the first half. A 3-pointer by Locure and a free throw by Wilson brought ULM within nine at the half, 38-29.

ULM opened the second half on fire, going on a 7-0 run, with five points from Watson, to get within two, 38-36. CCU responded and went back ahead by seven, 47-40, on another 3-pointer by Meyer, with 14:02 remaining.

The Warhawks made another charge, going on a 8-0 run with buckets by Jerry Ngopot, Metskhvarishvili and Makai Willis before two free throws by Willis gave ULM a 48-47 lead with 11:25 left. After CCU tied the game on a free throw, a layup by Willis put ULM up by two, 50-48, with 10:44 left.

CCU tied the game on the next possession with a layup by Kevin Easley and regained the lead on a hook shot by Ojiako with 9:12 to play. ULM knotted the game at 52 on Savion Gallion’s layup off Metskhvarishvili’s steal, but CCU went ahead for good on Easley’s layup with 6:46 left, 54-52.

ULM was trailing by three, 62-59, before Ojiako hit one of two free throws and Meyer hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game to extend CCU’s lead back to seven, 66-59, with 1:56 left. The Warhawks cut the gap back to three, as Metskhvarishvili connected on two free throws and Locure came up with a steal and layup to make it 68-65 with 48 seconds left. However, ULM never had a chance with the ball to tie or take the lead, as Meyer and Kylan Blackmon hit free throws down the stretch and CCU held on for the win.

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