CONWAY, S.C. (Interstat) — Arkansas State rallied from a halftime deficit to edge Coastal Carolina 70-66 in a Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at HTC Center. The Red Wolves trailed 29-27 at halftime but outscored the Chanticleers 43-37 after the break. Christian Harmon led Arkansas State with 16 points. Joey Chammaa added 13 points off the bench. Joshua Beadle scored 16 points for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers, who shot 11 of 33 from 3-point range, missed a chance to tie in the final seconds. Arkansas State improved to 14-10. Coastal Carolina fell to 14-11 before an announced crowd of 2,041.

CONWAY, S.C. (Interstat) — In a grinding Sun Belt Conference clash defined by defense and second chances, the Arkansas State Red Wolves rallied from a halftime deficit to edge the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 70-66 on Wednesday night at HTC Center. A crowd of 2,041 saw the Red Wolves (14-10, 8-5) overcome a sluggish offensive start by clamping down after the break, holding Coastal Carolina to 37.7% shooting from the field and forcing 16 turnovers that led to 22 crucial points. The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the final minute with Arkansas State clinging to a one-point lead. After Coastal Carolina’s Joshua Beadle committed a turnover with 45 seconds left, Arkansas State’s Christian Harmon stole the ensuing inbounds pass and converted a driving layup to push the lead to 65-63 with 42 seconds remaining. Coastal Carolina (14-11, 7-6) had a chance to tie or take the lead, but AJ Dancler missed two free throws with 33 seconds left. Arkansas State’s Matt Hayman then sank a critical three-pointer from the wing off a Chandler Jackson assist, extending the lead to 68-63 with 20 seconds to play, effectively sealing the outcome. The Chanticleers had led 29-27 at halftime, but Arkansas State opened the second half with renewed energy. A 12-4 run, capped by a Harmon three-pointer, gave the Red Wolves a 39-33 lead they would not fully relinquish, though Coastal Carolina stayed within striking distance until the final seconds. Harmon, a 6-foot-6 guard from Rochester, New York, led all scorers with 16 points, adding two assists and a block in 35 minutes. His backcourt mate, Joey Chammaa, provided a vital spark off the bench. The Los Angeles native scored 13 of his points in the first half, single-handedly keeping Arkansas State afloat during a period where the team shot just 32.3% from the field. For Coastal Carolina, Beadle, a Columbia, South Carolina native, shouldered the offensive load with 16 points. RaSheed Jones of Marion, Indiana, facilitated the offense with eight assists but was held to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting, including 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. The game was a battle of attrition. Arkansas State won despite shooting only 37.7% overall, leveraging a 15-9 advantage in offensive rebounds to generate 13 second-chance points. Their defense was more efficient, holding Coastal Carolina to an offensive rating of 91.6 points per 100 possessions while posting a rating of 100.0 themselves. The Red Wolves also dominated inside, outscoring the Chanticleers 28-20 in the paint, with Aly Tounkara and Jalen Hampton providing interior presence. Arkansas State’s 11 steals, led by three from Harmon, underscored their disruptive defensive effort. Chandler Jackson added nine points and five assists for Arkansas State, while Hayman finished with 12 points, all from three-point range. For Coastal Carolina, Reggie Hill contributed eight points and Tristan Thompson added seven off the bench. The victory snapped a two-game losing skid for Arkansas State, which had dropped close decisions to Marshall and Old Dominion in its previous two outings. Coastal Carolina saw its two-game win streak halted. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Arkansas State entered with a 66.9% probability to win and covered the pregame spread of -2. The combined score of 136 fell well under the over/under line of 153.5, highlighting the defensive nature of the contest. Both teams return to action on Saturday. Arkansas State hosts Bowling Green in non-conference play, while Coastal Carolina welcomes Massachusetts to HTC Center.

CONWAY, S.C. (Interstat) — A pair of Sun Belt teams looking to stabilize their conference standing will meet Wednesday when Coastal Carolina hosts Arkansas State at the HTC Center. The Chanticleers (14-10) enter having won five of their last seven, most recently an 83-79 road victory at Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday. Guard AJ Dancler powered that win with a career-high 32 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Dancler has been a consistent offensive force, averaging 20.1 points over his last seven contests. Arkansas State (13-10) seeks to halt a three-game skid, including a 70-61 home loss to Marshall on Saturday. Despite the team’s struggles, guard Christian Harmon has been a bright spot, averaging 18.1 points over his last eight games. He scored 23 points in a narrow 82-81 loss at Georgia State on Jan. 24 and had 20 in a defeat to Old Dominion on Jan. 28. The matchup features contrasting recent trajectories. Coastal Carolina has found success at home, going 3-1 in its last four at HTC Center, with the lone loss a four-point defeat to Old Dominion. Arkansas State has dropped four of its last five, with the only win in that stretch a 17-point road victory at Georgia Southern on Jan. 22. Both teams are in the middle of the Sun Belt pack and will view this as a crucial opportunity to build momentum for the final month of the regular season. The Red Wolves will need to contain Dancler, while the Chanticleers must account for Harmon’s scoring versatility. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off Wednesday.