Hartsville, S.C. – Coker dropped their first game of their 2008-09 Conference Carolinas schedule this season, as the Saints of Limestone College defeated the Cobras 81-74 on Monday night in men’s collegiate basketball. The loss drops the Cobras to 3-2 overall, and 0-1 in the conference, while Limestone improved to 2-0 overall, and 1-0 in conference play.

In a tight fought back and forth battle, the Saints missed free throws by the Cobras and late game fouls to take home the victory. Coker had their second straight game where their shooters were a bit off, as they shot just 43.5 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from the charity stripe, as compared to Limestone’s 52.2 percent from the floor and an outstanding 82.8 percent from the free throw line.

Limestone’s Stewart Clark led all scorers with 27 points, while grabbing four rebounds and Saint big man Anthony Middleton had 19 points and six rebounds. Michael Barrett also scored in double figures for the Saints with 11 points and four rebounds.

For Coker, Mason Ambler (Atlanta, GA) and Lukas Varga (Pawley’s Island, SC) each had 14 points with Ambler pulling down five rebounds and Varga dishing out five assists. Josh Poston (Myrtle Beach, SC) had 12 points and led all rebounders with seven boards.

Coker returns to the floor on Friday as they travel to Lynchburg, Va., to play in the 2008 Liberty University Thanksgiving tournament. The Cobras will play host Liberty on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and then on Saturday, they will play either William and Mary or South Carolina State.