Coastal Carolina tops Illinois Chicago 89-78 in CBI semis

CONWAY, S.C. -- Jaylen Shaw scored 22 points, Demario Beck had 18 with 10 rebounds and Coastal Carolina defeated Illinois Chicago 89-78 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational.

Elijah Wilson hit four 3-pointers to score 16 points and Colton Ray-St. Cyr had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Chanticleers (19-17), who play Wyoming in the best 2-of-3 CBI championship series beginning Monday.

Coastal Carolina went 9 of 9 from the foul line to take a 36-29 halftime lead over the Flames, who were 2 of 4. An early 7-0 run made it 58-43 and then eight-straight points, capped by an Arthur Labinowicz dunk with 7:10 to play, pushed the lead to 21.

The Flames (17-19) made a charge behind Tarkus Ferguson, who had 16 of his career-high 27 in the last seven minutes. But Coastal Carolina, which finished 26 of 31 from the line for a 15-point advantage, never let the Flames get closer than nine.