LAFAYETTE, La. (Interstat) — In a grinding Sun Belt Conference clash defined by defense and missed opportunities, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers survived a furious second-half rally from Louisiana-Lafayette to escape the Cajundome with a 69-65 victory on Thursday night.

The Chanticleers, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half, saw their advantage whittled down to a single possession in the final minute before securing the win at the free-throw line. The victory improved Coastal Carolina to 16-11 overall, while the Ragin’ Cajuns fell to 9-17.

The game’s pivotal sequence unfolded in the tense final 30 seconds. With Coastal Carolina clinging to a 64-62 lead, Louisiana-Lafayette’ Dorian Finister missed the first of two free throws. He made the second, pulling the Cajuns within one point. On the ensuing inbound, Coastal Carolina’s Joshua Beadle was immediately fouled by Karris Bilal, sending the Chanticleers’ leading scorer to the line with 12 seconds remaining.

Beadle, a 6-foot-3 guard from Columbia, South Carolina, calmly sank both free throws to push the lead back to three. Louisiana-Lafayette called a timeout and executed a play to get a look for Jaxon Olvera. The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Houston delivered, draining a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 15 seconds left to tie the game at 65, sending the crowd of 2,516 into a frenzy.

Coastal Carolina, without a timeout to advance the ball, quickly inbounded to Beadle, who was again fouled by Bilal, sending him back to the line with 12 ticks on the clock. Undeterred by the pressure, Beadle knocked down both attempts to restore a two-point lead. The Cajuns’ last chance to tie or take the lead ended when De’Vion Lavergne’s driving attempt was off the mark, and Beadle secured the defensive rebound before being fouled. He iced the game with two more free throws, accounting for the final margin.

Beadle’s performance was the cornerstone of the Coastal Carolina effort. He finished with a game-high 29 points, including a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, with 10 of those makes coming in the second half. His backcourt mate, AJ Dancler of Indianapolis, added 15 points, hitting three critical 3-pointers.

For Louisiana-Lafayette, the offensive burden was shared by Olvera and Finister, who each scored 19 points. Finister, a New Orleans native, added a game-high 10 rebounds. Lavergne, from Melville, Louisiana, contributed 15 points and three assists.

The game was a stark contrast in halves. Coastal Carolina built its lead in the opening period through efficient, if not prolific, shooting and by capitalizing on Cajun mistakes. The Chanticleers shot 43.8% from the field in the first half and connected on 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, taking a 36-29 lead into the break. Louisiana-Lafayette, meanwhile, struggled mightily, making just 9 of 30 field goal attempts and only 2 of 11 from deep.

The second half saw a complete reversal. The Ragin’ Cajuns, fueled by a more aggressive defensive posture that generated seven steals, began to chip away. They shot 50% from the field after halftime and used a 12-4 run early in the period to close the gap. Olvera and Finister repeatedly attacked the rim, and a 3-pointer from Dariyus Woodson of Baytown, Texas, with 15:26 remaining gave the Cajuns their first lead since the opening minutes at 38-37.

From there, the game settled into a tense back-and-forth affair featuring eight lead changes and five ties. Neither team led by more than four points for the remainder of the contest. Coastal Carolina’s ability to get to the foul line proved decisive; they attempted 23 free throws, making 20, while Louisiana-Lafayette went 20 for 25.

Statistically, the game was a battle of attrition. Both teams finished with identical 70 possessions, but Coastal Carolina’s slightly better offensive execution, marked by a 98.7 offensive rating compared to Louisiana-Lafayette’s 93.0, made the difference. The Chanticleers overcame 16 turnovers by holding the Cajuns to 35.7% shooting overall and just 5 of 20 from 3-point range. Coastal Carolina also won the battle in the paint, outscoring Louisiana-Lafayette 26-18.

The result defied the pregame analytics, which gave the home-standing Ragin’ Cajuns a 61.7% probability of victory. Coastal Carolina, installed as a narrow one-point favorite, covered the spread, and the combined score of 134 points went over the projected total of 128.

The win gives Coastal Carolina momentum as they prepare to host James Madison next Wednesday. Louisiana-Lafayette will look to regroup quickly, traveling to face Old Dominion on Monday.