Chad Gray and Anthony Raffa scored 23 points each to lead Coastal Carolina to an 83-72 victory over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night in the first round of the Big South tournament.
Sam McLaurin had 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead the top-seeded Chanticleers (27-4) into the second round, where they will host fourth-seeded Virginia Military Institute on Thursday.
Coastal Carolina, playing without leading scorer Desmond Holloway, who is suspended during an NCAA investigation, hit nine 3-pointers and shot 54.8 percent from the field (28 of 51).
The Chanticleers led 71-67 with 3 minutes left before going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and getting a 3-pointer from Raffa to seal the victory.
Brandon Crawford added 14 points for the Chanticleers.
Laron Buggs scored 18, Jon Moore had 14 and Stefon Johnson and Luke Davis added 10 points each for the Bulldogs (11-21).
