After losing a close game to Blinn College previously, Coastal Bend looked to stir up some home cooking against San Jacinto, as the Cougars are 7-1 in the Cougar Den.
Saturday January 27th Coastal Bend College hosted San Jacinto College for a Region XIV Conference match-up. The Cougars fell behind early within the first few minutes of the game. It due to a combination of Coastal Bend turning the ball over and San Jacinto capitalizing off those turnovers. Coastal Bend fell behind 19-4 before getting back on track to claw their way back into the game after solid adjustments for the coaching staff. The Cougars were able to claw themselves back into the game, by Rashon Thomas hitting threes to rally up the team. Thomas would end up with 22 points to finish the first half. Defensive stops allowed Coastal Bend to tie the contest up, going into intermission, 55-55.
The start of the second half, Coastal Bend came out and made shots while also attacking the paint. San Jacinto would not be denied, as both teams would trade buckets for a good part of the second half. Malik Amos ended up catching fire, as he went on a 12-0 run for the Cougars. Amos hit three, three pointers while also making a three point play, the old fashion way. Dajuan Madden also took part in the three point barrage, hitting back to back threes to help further the lead against the Ravens. San Jacinto was able to cut into the Coastal Bend lead, but good ball security, made free throws and shot clock awareness is what helped propel Coastal Bend to victory in this high scoring affair, beating San Jacinto 118-111.
Thomas finished with a game high, 35 points and nine assists. Amos completed the game with 27 points, shooting a scorching six for ten from beyond the arc. Madden scored 25 points to go along with his ten rebounds, eight steals and three steals. Eric Williams also finished the contest in double figures with 13 points to go with his six rebounds. Big man, Edmond Franklin had a solid presence in the paint with eight points, ten rebounds and four blocked shots.
Carliss Robinson, Coastal Bend College Head Men's Basketball Coach "Good ball movement, making our free throws and taking care of the basket while playing as a team collectively on both sides of the floor is what helped us win today. San Jacinto is a very good ball club, they're well coached and I'm proud of my team finding a way to get back into the game early in the first half. I felt we executed the game plan pretty well and that we attacked the lane to get to the foul line along with getting our guys rhythm shots instead of closely contested looks." Robinson continues "I thought we played the transition game well on both sides of the floor as well. Our defense helped us out tremendously, getting stops we needed in order to get back in the game, but our offense is what carried us to the end. But our defense is our staple, and I feel like we need to do a better job next game."
Coastal Bend's next game will on the road in Port Arthur, Tx against Lamar State College on Saturday, February 3rd. Tip-off is at 4:00 PM.