CONWAY, SC—South Carolina State had three players in double figures including graduate guard Donte Wright leading the way with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds in a, 69-83, loss to Coastal Carolina in exhibition play Thursday (Nov. 2) at the HTC Center.
The Bulldogs without their leader scorer and rebounder forward Tashombe Riley, who will miss the entire season due to an injury showed promise with their young frontcourt against a veteran Chanticleer team.
"The exhibition game versus Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt Conference Member) gave our guys a great opportunity to get better against tough competition and gain valuable experience without it costing us a loss, "said head coach Murray Garvin.
"We saw a lot of positives last night to say the least. It was many of our guys first Division I college basketball game," said Garvin. "Big man Armani Taylor showed that his potential is unlimited, playing against a Pre-Season All Sun Belt Conference post player."
Sophomore forward Damani Applewhite finished with 11 points, three rebounds and a block, while Taylor provided a solid effort in the post with 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, a block and a steal.
South Carolina State shot a solid 50% in the first-half from behind the arc with Wright connecting on 5-of-8 from three-point range on the night.
The stats were almost dead even throughout the contest with CCU leading the way in rebound 40-39 and SC State shooting 63.2 % from the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Justin Jones added nine points, while senior guard James Richardson finished with eight points, four rebounds and three steals. Dewayne Banks added seven points in the loss.
Garvin stated, "We also got a great shooting performance from Wright and again a chance to play on the road in an exhibition game can only help prepare us for the regular season that starts next week on the road at Big 10 foe Wisconsin."
South Carolina State will open the regular season Friday Nov. 10 on the road in Madison, WI against the University of Wisconsin in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is 6 p.m.
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