TIFTON, Ga. - The College of Coastal Georgia women's basketball team picked up their fifth straight non-conference win on Saturday afternoon as they defeated the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Fillies in Tifton, Ga.
The first seven minutes of the first half belonged solely to the Mariners (6-4, 0-3 SUN) as CCGA jumped out to an early 17-4 lead on the Fillies (5-6, 0-2 SSAC). Tyler Butler started the scoring for the Mariners with two straight layups before Peyton Shafer and Jasmin Worsley joined the party with layups of their own. With ABAC ice cold from the field, Taylor Gardner buried a three pointer, capping a 9-0 run in the middle of their 17-4 run to open the quarter. Reese Riddle ended the cold streak for the Fillies with a jumper, but it was immediately answered by Maylei Noreika to put the Mariners back up double digits. Morgon Webb and Gardner both added layups for a 6-0 run to end the 17-4 run as CCGA was in prime position to take control of the game right out of the gates. Emily Gamon answered with a three pointer to end the Mariners run and get the Fillies back in the game, but Bre Fowler, in her first real game action this season, buried a three pointer in the Mariners final possession of the quarter to give CCGA a 20-9 lead going into the second quarter.
Speaking of Fowler, the second quarter belonged to the senior as she buried three more three pointers in the period as she finished the first half 4-6 from the field, carrying the same line from behind the three point line, giving a much needed shooting spark to a sputtering Mariners offense coming in.
Both teams traded baskets out of the break as the Fillies cut the lead down to as low as five at one point, but Fowler and the Mariners withstood the storm and ended the half on a 13-5 run to extend the lead to 13 going into the halftime break as CCGA led 40-27.
Fowler led the Mariners with 12 off the bench in the half followed by Butler with six. As a team, CCGA shot an impressive 57 percent from the field and 46 percent from three, compared to just 31 percent from the field and 22 percent from three from the Fillies. Riddle and Camiva Starks led ABAC at the half break with six points each.
The third quarter was more of the same for the Mariners as they outscored ABAC 26-14 in the frame, shooting 58 percent from the floor and going 3-4 from behind the arc in the process. A 5-0 run with a turnover from ABAC mixed in the middle for the Mariners with 7:23 left in the quarter pushed the CCGA lead to its biggest at the time of 17, and it would remain the largest until Gardner launched in another three pointer to make the score 56-38.
That three sparked a 13-3 run to end the quarter for the Mariners as they had the game in hand going into the fourth, leading 66-41.
Just when it seemed like the Mariners were running away with the game, the Fillies stormed right back into the ballgame to start the fourth as they mounted a huge 16-4 run which cut the Mariners lead down to 13 with five minutes to play in the game. The run eventually proved to be too little too late as CCGA ended the game on an 11-0 run to secure the 16 point win, holding the Fillies scoreless for the final five minutes of the game to win by a final of 81-57.
Butler finished as the leading scorer with 15 points on near perfect shooting, going 7-8, while grabbing nine rebounds in the process. Webb finished with 14, Gardner poured in 13 and Fowler drilled four three pointers to finish with 12. CCGA shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from three, both being the second highest marks of the season.
The Mariners will take nearly a week off until next Friday as they travel to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern. Tip off is set for 11:00 a.m.
