Jacksonville, Fla. – Reggie Burke entered Saturday night's game at Edward Waters College averaging just over 17 points a contest to lead the Mariners in scoring.

The sophomore guard scored more than his average against the Tigers as he led the Mariners with 19 points, and it was his final three points of the night that won the game for Coastal Georgia.

Burke hit a 3-point shot with just 4.1 seconds to play after the Mariners had surrendered the lead to give Coastal Georgia its second victory of the season.

The Tigers got off a shot on their final possession, but the attempt was blocked by Coastal Georgia's Kentorey Johnson to seal the win.

It was Burke who also hit a running shot in the paint just before the final horn in the Mariners' 67-65 win over Coker College at home on Nov. 20, which had been their only win before Saturday night.

This game-winner came with Burke driving the distance of the floor before pulling up at the 3-point line after the Tigers had broken a  tie with a basket for a 60-58 lead on their previous possession.

Burke said after the game the Mariners were looking for a 3-point attempt on the possession, and it just so happened that he ended up being the one to take it.

"I was looking for P.J. (Reason) to come off a screen, but that didn't work out," said the sophomore guard from Tampa, Fla. "After that, I was still looking for a three. I stopped and backed up and had the space to shoot. The defender was in my face. He had his hand in my face, but I double-pumped and maneuvered to get a shot. It was a good look."

The Mariners led 32-28 at halftime and led throughout the second half, going up by as much as eight points before the Tigers finally caught them at 58-all on a second-chance basket with just 36 seconds to play after steadily chipping away at Coastal Georgia's lead over the final 10 minutes of the game.

"We didn't take advantage of being ahead," said Coastal Georgia coach Gerald Cox. "We had several chances to take control, but we didn't. We squandered several opportunities to build a good lead, but Reggie ended up knocking it out for us."

It was a big win for a team that was getting desperate for another victory, said the head coach. Coastal Georgia opened with five straight losses, and then after the win over Coker, had also lost its last four to own just a single win in its first 10 games.

"We've lost a lot of close ones and just weren't getting the breaks at the end of games. The other team has been getting them. We needed to prove to ourselves that we can win games like this," Cox said.

Also for the Mariners, Reason and Johnson scored in doubles with Reason going for 15 and Johnson chipping in with 10. Johnson also led the Mariners with eight rebounds to go with six assists and three blocks.

Four players scored 10 points each for Edward Waters, which dropped to 1-6 with the loss.

The Mariners and Tigers will meet again on Jan. 1 when the Tigers visit Brunswick for a men's and women's doubleheader.

Coastal Georgia will take a break next week for end-of-semester exams and will return to action on Dec. 18 at Valdosta State.

Cox expressed his appreciation to the small group of Coastal Georgia fans who made the trip to Jacksonville to cheer on the Mariners on Saturday.

Obviously, Burke made their trip worthwhile with his end-of-game heroics.

"He's been playing lights out," Cox said of his leading scorer.