BRUNSWICK, Ga. - On a career shooting night from the Mighty Banyan, the College of Coastal Georgia men's basketball team dropped their Wednesday night Sun Conference matchup with New College of Florida by a final of 87-79 inside Coffin Gym. 

The Mighty Banyan (8-7, 1-3 SUN) started the game on fire making their first three baskets and seven of their first 10 to build a 16-7 lead five minutes into the first half. Down 10, the Mariners (6-8, 3-2 SUN) started chipping away at the lead, getting back-to-back layups from Jeremiah Camara, a three from Kaden McArthur and a layup from Salle Wilson cut the lead down to five. With 7:47 left in the half, a layup from McArthur cut the lead down to three, and a few possessions later, D'Andre Jefferson cut the lead to just one, but the momentum for CCGA was short lived as NCF went on a 12-8 sprint over the final five minutes of the half to take a 42-37 lead into the locker room. 

As expected, the two stars of each team stood out among the rest as McArthur led the Mariners with 11 while Charlie Yonder, who averages just over 23 points per game this season, led the Mighty Banyan with 15. Wilson finished the half with seven while Camara added six of his own. 

The Mighty Banyan shot an electrifying 60 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three in the half, going 17-28 from the floor and 6-10 from three, compared to 49 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three for the Mariners. CCGA held the advantage in points in the paint 24-18 and points off turnovers 13-5, but the Mariners never led in the half despite the lead in both categories. 

Out of the halftime break, it was the Mariners who started out hot, getting eight points from Preston Crisp and two from Wilson to get right back into the game and cut the NCF lead down to just two. The Mighty Banyan responded with an 8-0 run of their own, building their lead right back up to nine with 13:14 left in the game. Six straight points from Wilson cut the lead once again, but once again NCF went on a run to extend their lead back to double digits. The Mighty Banyan lead didn't drop below eight until the 3:20 mark when Wilson converted 1-2 from the free throw line to cut the lead to seven. That free throw sparked a quick 7-3 run to get the Mariners back in the game, but needing missed free throws, the Mighty Banyan went 7-8 from the free throw line over the final 30 seconds of the game to defeat the Mariners by a final of 87-79. 

Yonder finished the game with 30 points and 10 rebounds and three assists shy of a triple double. Yonder also shot 13-16 from the free throw line and 8-14 from the field. Jordan Clark assisted the senior with 21 points on 7-10 shooting. 

McArthur and Wilson both finished with 23 points and both made nine field goals in the game. Crisp finished with a career high 17 points on 7-12 shooting, while the rest of the Mariners finished with 16 points combined. 

The Mariners will look to regroup as they travel to Miami Gardens, Fla. to take on Florida Memorial. Tip off is set for Saturday at 4:00 p.m. from the Wellness Center.