BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The College of Coastal Georgia women's basketball team won their second straight game against the Wesleyan Wolves by a final of 52-42 on Monday night inside Howard Coffin Gym.
It was the Wolves (0-2) who jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as Destiny Smith and Idrianna Edwards led the charge, forcing a Mariners (3-1) timeout with 7:33 left in the first quarter. Taylor Gardner finally got the Mariners on the board with a layup out of the timeout, which started a 12-2 run by CCGA to end the quarter. Peyton Shafer added a layup, Alli Stone knocked down a three, Gardner added on, Morgon Webb added a layup, and Yakateema Tyson went 1-2 from the free throw line to make the score 12-8 at the quarter break. Both teams struggled shooting the basketball, as Wesleyan shot 27 percent compared to the 36 percent posted by CCGA.
The second quarter was not as friendly to the Mariners as CCGA shot just 20 percent from the field and made one of their four three point attempts in the quarter. Stone started the quarter with a three on an assist from Lina Kouchis, but it was in response to a Jatayah Bryant three pointer eight seconds prior to put CCGA back up four. Two minutes of game time went by without a basket from either side when Gracie Hearon made a layup with 7:34 remaining in the half to put CCGA up 17-11. From that point on, the Wolves finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a one point lead into the locker room at 18-17. The Wolves didn't shoot much better from the floor, making just two more baskets than the Mariners in the quarter, shooting 4-17 for 24 percent, and they also made just one three pointer in the period.
Stone led the Mariners in points with six off the bench, while Gardner followed with four. Gardner, Hearon, and Shafer all went to the locker room with three rebounds a piece. Destiny Smith led all scorers in the half with seven for Wesleyan.
Until the media timeout at the 4:40 mark of the third quarter, only six points were scored by either side, all six in favor of the Mariners, with four coming from the free throw line. A layup from Shafer capped the 6-0 run to the media, with the Mariners leading 23-18. Out of the break, layups from Tyson, Shafer, and Stone extended the Mariners lead to 11 as the Mariners began the quarter on a 12-0 run which was snapped at the 1:29 mark in the quarter by Smith at the free throw line. Smith added three the old fashioned way to end the quarter, as we went to the fourth with the Mariners leading 29-23.
CCGA started the fourth on a 5-2 run to extend their lead even further as they led by 11 with just under nine to play in the game. Wesleyan did not go quietly into the night, however, as they stormed back on a 7-1 run to cut the deficit down to five with 6:04 to play. Kouchis followed with a 1-2 trip to the line and Stone added a pair one possession later, and CCGA went back up by seven at the 4:36 mark. Shafer added another layup to put her at 10 points on the night and extend the Mariners lead with just over three to play, but Bryant added a layup of her own to keep Wesleyan right in the ballgame.
With CCGA up 10 with a minute to play, Zuriah Davis made her presence felt and made a huge three to keep Wesleyan right in the fight, making the score 46-39. The next trip down the floor, Webb was sent to the line where she made a pair to extend the lead back to nine. Anderia Jackson went right down the floor for Wesleyan and made another three for the Wolves as the lead went back down to six with 45 seconds on the clock. The Mariners inbounded the ball to Gardner who missed both from the free throw line, opening the door for the Wolves. Jackson ran down the floor and missed a layup, forcing the Wolves to foul sending Webb back to the free throw line. The senior made both, and with a missed three from Davis, Shafer was able to ice the game at the charity stripe with a pair of free throws, as CCGA took the contest by a final of 52-42.
Shafer led the Mariners with 13 points, adding seven rebounds, one assist, and six steals. Stone added 12 of her own, and Webb ended with 10. CCGA ended with 15 steals, but turned the ball over 20 times in the victory.
The Mariners return to action on Thursday when they travel to Macon to play the same Wesleyan Wolves. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
