CONWAY, S.C. (Interstat) — In a game that defied logic, exhausted two teams, and rewrote the definition of a marathon, Coastal Carolina outlasted Massachusetts 94-91 in a triple-overtime men’s basketball epic on Saturday afternoon at HTC Center.

The contest, which saw 15 ties and 18 lead changes, was ultimately decided by a single, staggering statistic: three-point shooting. The Chanticleers (15-11) launched a blistering assault from beyond the arc, connecting on 16 of 34 attempts, a 47.1% clip that proved the difference against a Minutemen squad that struggled at the free-throw line. Massachusetts (15-10) shot a respectable 10 of 26 from deep but made only 11 of 23 free throws, leaving critical points unclaimed in a game where every possession was magnified.

The narrative of regulation was one of dramatic swings. Massachusetts, led by the explosive scoring of guard K’Jei Parker, controlled the first half, building a 32-21 lead by stifling the Coastal Carolina offense. The Chanticleers managed just seven field goals before halftime.

The second half was a complete reversal. Fueled by the backcourt duo of AJ Dancler and RaSheed Jones, Coastal Carolina erupted. The Chanticleers poured in 43 points after the break, storming back to force a 64-64 tie at the end of regulation. Dancler, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds, and Jones, who had a game-high 26 points, four rebounds and four assists, repeatedly hit clutch shots to erase the deficit.

The first overtime ended knotted at 75. The second overtime concluded deadlocked at 83. Throughout the extra periods, the teams traded body blows. Massachusetts forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford was a titan on the glass, hauling in 20 rebounds to go with 10 points. Leonardo Bettiol added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Minutemen, while Marcus Banks scored 21.

For Coastal Carolina, Joshua Beadle provided a crucial 23-point, seven-rebound lift, and Reggie Hill posted an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.

The final, decisive sequence came in the third overtime. With the score tied at 91 and under a minute to play, Coastal Carolina’s Dancler, the team’s top performer, drilled a three-pointer off an assist from Hill to put the Chanticleers ahead for good at 94-91 with 1:10 remaining. Massachusetts had multiple chances to answer, but a missed three-pointer by Banks in the final seconds sealed their fate.

The game’s efficiency metrics underscored the narrow margin. Both teams had 85 possessions. Coastal Carolina’s offensive rating was 111.1, edging out Massachusetts’s 107.2. The Chanticleers also capitalized more on mistakes, scoring 13 points off turnovers to the Minutemen’s three.

Despite the loss, Massachusetts dominated the interior, outrebounding Coastal Carolina 21-15 on the offensive glass and scoring 32 points in the paint. But they could not overcome the three-point disparity and their own struggles at the charity stripe.

The victory was a significant resilience test passed for Coastal Carolina, which had lost two of its last three. Massachusetts saw a two-game winning streak snapped in heartbreaking fashion, a 55-minute battle ending in a three-point defeat.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Massachusetts had been projected with a 58.5% probability to win and entered as a slight one-point favorite. The combined score of 185 sailed over the pregame over/under line of 148.5, a testament to the offensive explosion after halftime and in the extra periods.

Massachusetts travels to face Akron next Saturday. Coastal Carolina visits Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday.