HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Graduate
Paul Zilinskas scored a game-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as the Jaguars were unable to shake off a cold shooting night against Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the Bulldog Bash on Friday (Nov. 22) in a 71-57 defeat. The Jaguars shot just 37 percent from the floor and saw Coastal Carolina connect on 56 percent, including hitting 10 treys.
Sean Craig finished with 13 points for the Jags (2-4) and
Jarvis Walker had 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. RaSheed Jones led five CCU (2-3) players in double-digits with 11 points and four others finished with 10.
Noah Amenhauser closed with four points and 10 rebounds and the Chanticleers won the glass 35-25 and outscored the Jaguars in the paint, 32-18. The Jaguars, playing without 7-footer
Julian Steinfeld for the sixth straight game to start the year, were outsized across the front line with both
Keenan Garner and
DeSean Goode playing limited minutes.
Coastal Carolina shot 61 percent from the floor in the opening half and made 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from deep to put the Jaguars in a major hole. The Chanticleers scored the game's first seven points, prompting a quick IU Indy timeout to regroup. The Jags cut the CCU lead back to 12-10, thanks to a pair of Zilinskas treys, but the Chanticleers fired back with the next seven points.
The Jags' inability to get stops, coupled with its own cold shooting led to a 45-28 halftime deficit. The Chanticleers pushed their lead out to 22 at 50-28 early in the second half before the Jags started chipping away. Craig fueled a 9-0 run that saw the Jags get within 13, but back-to-back Josh Meo jumpers stemmed the tide back in Coastal Carolina's favor.
A late flurry from
Alec Millender and
Timaris Brown helped the Jags carve into the margin late as Millender had two triples down the stretch and Brown closed with five points and three boards.
The Jaguars will continue the Bulldog Bash on Saturday (Nov. 23) when they take on South Carolina State at 1:00 p.m. CST (2 Eastern) inside the AAMU Events Center.