Coastal Carolina survives late push to beat Marshall 79-75

Coastal Carolina led wire-to-wire against Marshall, earning a big win over the conference-leading Thundering Herd on senior night. The Chanticleers saw career nights from RaSheed Jones and Nadjrick Peat.

The Chanticleers jumped out to a quick 7-0 start and never looked back, leading for the rest of the game. Back-to-back offensive rebounds and putbacks from Peat sparked a 9-0 run, extending the lead to 14 late in the first half. Coastal ended the half strong, taking a 36-24 lead into the break after a very physical and defensive first 20 minutes.

Coastal on a 9-0 run… TIMEOUT MARSHALL pic.twitter.com/JGTnGR0UWF

— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) February 21, 2026

Jones led the Chanticleers at the break with 11 points. Peat added six in his final game at the HTC Center, while fellow senior Josh Beadle pitched in nine points and five rebounds. As a team, Coastal went 5 of 15 from deep and out-rebounded the Herd by six. Eight of its rebounds came on the offensive glass.

For the Herd, Jalen Speer led all scorers with 12 in the first half, also signaling a career night. Backcourt mate Noah Otshudi had six at the break. Marshall hit just one 3-pointer in the first 20 minutes and lost the second-chance points battle 9-2.

The majority of the second half was similar to the end of the first, with the lead hovering around the 10-point mark. However, the officiating and flow of the game shifted. A very physical first half turned into a foul-heavy and less physical second 20 minutes. That change saw Wyatt Fricks, the Herd’s leading scorer, pick up four fouls in 11 ineffective second-half minutes before fouling out with only four points.

With roughly three minutes remaining, Marshall appeared to start intentionally fouling Peat. Despite Peat hitting several of those free throws, head coach Justin Gray was not happy with the strategy.

“It’s an illegal play, this is not the NBA. You are not allowed to just run up and foul guys,” Gray emphasized.

With two minutes remaining, Coastal guard AJ Dancler picked up his second technical foul while the Chanticleers were up 10, helping spark a comeback attempt for the Herd. Behind shot-making from Speer, Marshall cut the lead to three, but late free throws by Beadle closed the door on the comeback, giving the Chanticleers a 79-75 win.

Got it done ✅ pic.twitter.com/abrZuxrbe0

— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) February 21, 2026

Coastal Carolina’s leading scorer was Jones, who finished with a career-high 29 points and went 9 for 9 from the free-throw line in the second half. Beadle added 18 points, although he did not shoot the ball well. Peat recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while also blocking a school-record seven shots.

“Blocking a shot is my hitting a three, my dunking on someone,” Peat said. “It’s my favorite thing to do and it’s one of my specialties.”

The career nights didn’t stop there, as Speer finished with a career-high 39 points for the Herd, doing everything he could to keep Marshall in the game. The only other Marshall player to score in double figures was Otshudi, who finished with 17.

Coastal held Marshall to five three-pointers, with the Herd shooting 25% from behind the arc. The Chanticleers were also more physical throughout, as Marshall desperately missed center Matt Van Komen. Coastal shot 16 more free throws and out-rebounded Marshall 47-42.

With the win, Coastal Carolina improved to 17-12 (9-7 Sun Belt) and remained seventh in the conference, but are now just 1.5 games out of first place. Marshall fell to 18-11 (10-6) and dropped to a half-game back of the conference lead.

The Chanticleers will head on the road in the final week to take on Georgia State and James Madison. Marshall will return home to host Old Dominion and then Georgia Southern on senior night.