Coastal Carolina loses heartbreaker to Arkansas State
Coastal Carolina dropped a hard-fought 70-66 loss to Arkansas State at home, as a late Red Wolves surge erased what looked like another strong finish for the Chanticleers. After battling back from an early deficit and holding the lead deep into the second half, Coastal was undone by turnovers, missed opportunities at the line and a close call in the final seconds.
Arkansas State jumped out to a 17-8 lead early in the first half, appearing to take control of the game. Coastal Carolina head coach Justin Gray pointed to one major issue during that stretch.
“It was the offensive rebounds,” Gray said.
He was not wrong, as Arkansas State outrebounded the Chanticleers 21-9 early. That did not last long, however, as Coastal began to claw back into the game by attacking the glass themselves. With 1:58 remaining in the half, the Chanticleers took their first lead since the game was 2-0, thanks to two free throws from Josh Beadle. Coastal closed the half strong and carried a 29-27 lead into the break.
Splash pic.twitter.com/5jp82cPn2z
— Coastal Men’s Basketball (@CoastalMBB) February 5, 2026
Coastal was led at halftime by a trio of scorers in DaJohn Craig, Beadle and AJ Dancler, who each had six points. Despite not scoring, RaSheed Jones grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists, while Reggie Hill added five points and five rebounds. Although Coastal faced an early rebounding deficit, the Chanticleers finished the half with 21 boards, just three fewer than Arkansas State.
For the Red Wolves, Joey Chammaa provided a spark off the bench, leading the team with eight points in the first half. Six other players scored between two and four points, highlighting the balanced scoring Arkansas State has shown all season.
Both teams came out of the locker room firing, each scoring eight points before the first media timeout of the second half. Arkansas State regained momentum shortly after, going on an 8-0 run to take a 43-39 lead by the under-12 media timeout.
Coastal responded immediately with a 10-2 run of its own, fueled by the energy of Derrick Green and Braeden MacVicar off the bench. Gray praised that effort after the game.
“We practice that way,” Gray said. “You have to be ready when your name is called and control what you can control, and Braeden did a great job at that.”
The Chanticleers carried a 59-52 lead into the final media timeout and appeared to be on track for their seventh win in their last eight games. With two minutes remaining, Jones knocked down two free throws to extend the lead to 63-56.
From there, everything unraveled for Coastal. Matt Hayman hit two key 3-pointers for the Red Wolves, Dancler missed two free throws, turnovers mounted, and some controversial calls swung momentum. Arkansas State took a one-point lead just over a minute later.
With 34 seconds remaining, Beadle turned the ball over, and Coastal immediately fouled TJ Caldwell, who hit both free throws to push the Red Wolves ahead 66-63.
On the ensuing possession, Gray drew up a play for MacVicar despite him not having made a shot all game. MacVicar was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 18 seconds remaining.
“Yeah, it means a lot,” MacVicar said. “They put our team in the best position to win, and that’s all I’m trying to do when I’m out there.”
MacVicar hit all three free throws, appearing to send the game toward overtime, but with 1.8 seconds remaining, a close goaltending call gave Arkansas State a 68-66 lead. After a turnover and two more made free throws, the Red Wolves escaped Conway with a 70-66 victory.
Never a doubt#WolvesUp pic.twitter.com/5zajyPC8lj
— Arkansas State Men’s Basketball (@AStateMB) February 5, 2026
Arkansas State was led by Christian Harmon, who finished with 16 points despite struggling from deep. Hayman and Chammaa also scored in double figures, while Jalen Hampton grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. As a team, the Red Wolves outrebounded Coastal by five, including 15 offensive boards.
Beadle led the Chanticleers with 16 points but went 0-for-4 from three and accounted for nine of the team’s 16 turnovers. Dancler added 12 points and reached the career mark of 1,000 points. Jones scored eight points, below his average, but added eight assists. Coastal finished with 16 assists on 22 made field goals.
Arkansas State improves to 14-10 (6-6 Sun Belt) and will return home Feb. 7 to host Bowling Green as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Coastal Carolina falls to 14-11 (7-6) and will look to bounce back at home against UMass on Feb. 7.
About The Author
