COCHRAN, Ga. - Interim head coach Corey Harris secured his first career victory as a collegiate head coach on Tuesday night as the College of Coastal Georgia women's basketball team picked up win number one on the 2024-25 season with a 62-48 victory over the Middle Georgia State Knights.
The Knights (0-1) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of free throws and a layup from Jaida Fitzgerald, but the Mariners (1-0) stormed right back scoring five straight, all coming from senior Morgon Webb. The teams continued to trade the lead until the Mainers took an 8-7 lead on a Maylei Noreika three pointer and didn't look back for the remainder of the first half. Tyler Butler and Taylor Gardner both added jumpers to improve the CCGA lead to five, which got cut to just one in 20 seconds of game time. With three minutes left in the first quarter and leading 12-11, the Mariners closed the quarter on a 6-0 run on a Gardner layup, a Gracie Hearon jumper, and an Alli Stone layup as CCGA led 18-11 at the quarter break.
For the first three minutes of the second quarter, both teams traded baskets until the Mariners stretched the lead out to as many as 10 with 4:56 left in the half. Over the next three minutes of game time, the Knights went on a small 8-4 run to cut the Mariners lead down to just four but couldn't hold the momentum and were held scoreless for the last 1:48 of the half. During that time the Mariners went on a 4-0 run and got a last second layup from Butler to take a 33-25 lead into the locker room.
Webb led the way at the break with 10 points on 4-9 shooting, followed closely by Butler and Gardner who both finished with eight. Butler also snagged six rebounds and Noreika added a pair of blocks. The Mariners shot 42 percent from the field as a team while holding the Knights to 30 percent from the floor and just 14 percent from three defensively.
In the third, the Mariners exploded out of the locker room on a 10-3 run, started by a Webb three. Gardner and Noreika added jumpers, and Webb capped the run with another three. With a 43-28 lead halfway through the third, the Mariners continued to score with a three from Noreika and a Butler layup. Hearon capped the big third quarter for the Mariners with a layup, and CCGA took a 50-36 lead into the fourth. CCGA shot 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from three in the quarter to outscore the Knights 17-11.
Seeming to have the game in hand heading into the fourth, the Knights came out swinging in the final frame going on an 11-6 run of their own to trim the Mariners lead back to nine with just over five minutes to play. Butler ended the run with a layup with three and a half to play, putting the Mariners back up 11. Iesha Rhodin added a layup on the next possession, and Gardner buried two free throws with two minutes left in the quarter to put the Mariners on top 62-48. The free throws from Gardner proved to be the final nails in the coffin as both teams went scoreless down the stretch to give the Mariners the 62-48 victory on opening night.
Webb finished as the leading scorer with 18 points on 4-9 shooting from three while Butler added a double double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Gardner finished her first game in a Mariners uniform with 12 points and eight boards, while Noreika finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
The victory was interim head coach Corey Harris' first as the head coach for the Mariners and his first as a collegiate head coach.
The Mariners are back in action next Monday, November 4, when they travel to Mount Vernon, Ga. to take on the Brewton Parker Barons. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.
