Coastal Carolina Holds Off ULM for 83-79 Road Victory

Coastal Carolina held off ULM down the stretch to earn an 83-79 road victory on Saturday, surviving a late push to secure its seventh conference win. The Chanticleers leaned on timely shooting, key bench production, and a career night from one of their stars.

Both teams came out struggling offensively, but despite missing several good looks, Coastal Carolina jumped out to a 7-0 lead. AJ Dancler’s three capped the early run before ULM’s Renars Sondors answered with a triple of his own prior to the first media timeout. The exchange of threes from Dancler and Sondors served as a preview of what was to come for the rest of the afternoon.

A few minutes later, shots began to fall for both sides after the slow start. For the Warhawks, guard MJ Russell took matters into his own hands, while Dancler and Dajohn Craig caught fire from deep for the Chanticleers.

Coastal eventually built a 13-point lead late in the first half and appeared to be pulling away, but the Warhawks had other plans. Threes from Dylan Diaz and Lavell Brodnex capped an 8-0 run over the final two minutes, trimming the deficit and sending the Chanticleers into halftime with a 43-38 lead.

ULM ran a zone for much of the first half, similar to the approach South Alabama used in its win over Coastal earlier in the week. This did little to slow the Chanticleers’ shooting, as Coastal went 9-17 from three in the opening half. Dancler led the way with 11 points at the break, while RaSheed Jones, Craig and Reggie Hill each added at least six points and knocked down two threes.

The Warhawks were led through 20 minutes by Russell, who had 13 points and four rebounds. ULM leading scorer Krystian Lewis struggled early, shooting 1-8 from the field while also picking up two fouls.

Coming out of halftime, the Warhawks made a small push but could never quite get over the hump, a theme that defined much of the second half.

With about 15 minutes remaining, Dancler took over for the Chanticleers. Anytime Coastal needed a big basket, the junior guard delivered, scoring 10 straight points after the under-16 timeout to keep the Chants in front as ULM continued to apply pressure.

Just after the under-eight media timeout, Lewis knocked down a three to tie the game for the first time. The Warhawks followed with a few defensive stops, but rebounding proved crucial for Coastal late, giving the Chanticleers multiple extra possessions. Dancler capitalized, putting Coastal back in front.

That would be as close as ULM would get. Bench players Derrick Green and Tristan Thompson made key plays down the stretch alongside Jones and Dancler to secure the 83-79 victory.

Coming home with the W pic.twitter.com/arflKFmUJ9

— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) February 1, 2026

Dancler led the Chanticleers in scoring, tying his career high with 32 points, including 21 in the second half, while knocking down six threes. Coastal also improved to 12 wins this season when its leading scorer finishes with more than 20. Jones was a key contributor, adding 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Josh Beadle struggled shooting, finishing 2-10 from the field.

Bench production proved vital in the win. Green scored five points and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, while Thompson added nine points, his third-highest total of his freshman season.

As a team, the Chanticleers were better in a majority of the statistical categories. Coastal out-rebounded the Warhawks by seven, shot better from both the field and three, and had eight more points in the paint.

Despite a rough first half, Lewis led the Warhawks with 20 points, 18 of which came after the break. Russell and Sondors scored 18 apiece, while Brodnex added 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in his return.

Coastal Carolina improves to 14-10 on the season and 7-5 in Sun Belt play, placing the Chanticleers in the top five of the standings. Coastal will host Arkansas State on Feb. 4. ULM falls to 3-20 (0-11) and will travel to Old Dominion on Feb. 4.