Coastal Carolina Defeats UMass in 3OT Classic

Coastal Carolina took down UMass 94-91 in a triple-overtime thriller Wednesday night. Elite shot making, buzzer-beaters and acrobatic finishes made the game an early candidate for game of the year.

Both teams scored on their opening possessions, with Josh Beadle hitting a long two for the Chants and Marcus Banks Jr. answering with a three off an offensive rebound. The early rhythm did not last long, as both sides went scoreless for more than two minutes.

UMass eventually jumped out to a 10-4 lead just over six minutes into the game. As Coastal struggled to see shots fall, forward Braeden MacVicar hit a huge three and drew a foul to cut the lead back to one possession. The momentum, however, was short-lived.

The Chanticleers continued to miss several open looks and layups for the remainder of the half, scoring only 21 points by the break, and trailing 32-21.

Up by 1️⃣1️⃣ at the break!#Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/ERyphqE35r

— UMass Men’s Basketball (@UMassMBB) February 7, 2026

K’Jei Parker led all scorers at halftime with 14 points, indicating the career game to come. UMass leading scorers Leo Bettiol and Banks Jr. were held to four points apiece, though the Minutemen still shot 50 percent from the field and held a 17-6 advantage in bench points.

Coastal’s trio of Beadle, AJ Dancler and RaSheed Jones combined for just 13 points in the first 20 minutes. Reggie Hill also struggled, going 1-for-7. Head coach Justin Gray said a lack of aggression hurt Coastal early.

“It felt like we were lacking aggression at times,” Gray said.

UMass opened the second half strong, extending its lead to 14, the largest of the game, with under 15 minutes remaining. Coastal began to find its footing, cutting the deficit to three on a Dajohn Craig three with just over 10 minutes left, but UMass quickly responded with a 5-0 run.

With 4:26 remaining, the Minutemen pushed the lead back to eight and appeared in control. Coastal responded with a 10-0 run, capped by a Dancler jumper that gave the Chants their first lead since 2-0.

Bench play played a key role in the run, particularly Derrick Green and Tristan Thompson on the defensive end.

“Derrick battled in the paint the whole time,” Gray said. “Tristan has been making defensive plays all year, and I thought he was good offensively in the middle of the zone too.”

After Hill hit two free throws with under 30 seconds left, Coastal led 64-61. Parker answered with a game-tying three with 13 seconds remaining, and Dancler’s last-second attempt missed, sending the game to overtime tied at 64.

In the first overtime, UMass capitalized on missed Coastal shots and offensive rebounds to build a 74-70 lead. Dancler hit a layup, and after a missed UMass free throw, Coastal had one final chance. Dancler stepped up, hitting a one-footed, one-handed three with 0.4 seconds remaining to force double overtime.

“He closed me out pretty well,” Dancler said. “I was just looking for an angle to get it off the glass. Happy my foot was behind the line.”

GOT IT pic.twitter.com/Nt2VRcMmDO

— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) February 7, 2026

Double overtime followed a similar script, but it was Coastal jumping out to the multi-possession lead. Parker got to the line, but UMass missed chances at the stripe and on the glass. Jones missed a free throw late, leaving the door open for Banks Jr., who drilled a 37-foot buzzer-beater to send the game to a third overtime.

Triple overtime opened with Jones converting an and-one three, fouling out Parker and swinging momentum. Parker finished with a career-high 31 points.

Banks Jr. later tied the game at 91 with a corner three. Gray chose not to call timeout, and Beadle delivered, hitting a step-back three with 1.4 seconds left to secure the 94-91 win.

“I knew I had to hit him with a move,” Beadle said. “He was on his heels, so I took advantage.”

COASTAL CAROLINA STEPBACK THREE FOR THE WIN IN TRIPLE OT 🤯🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/phrrGT4bDV

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 7, 2026

Jones led Coastal with 26 points. Dancler added 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from deep, along with eight rebounds, and Beadle finished with 23. Hill recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Coastal shot 47 percent from three and outscored UMass 13-3 in points off turnovers.

Banks Jr. finished with 21 points for UMass, while Bettiol went 6-for-18. Daniel Hankins-Sanford grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds as the Minutemen out-rebounded Coastal 58-51, including 22 offensive boards.

Coastal Carolina improves to 15-11 and will travel to Louisiana on Feb. 12 to face the Ragin’ Cajuns. UMass falls to 15-11 and will look to rebound Feb. 13 against Akron on CBS Sports Network.