BRUNSWICK, Ga. - While the shooting struggled, the defense shined for the College of Coastal Georgia women's basketball team as they secured their first conference win of the season and their first since January of 2024 as they defeated the New College of Florida Mighty Banyan by a final of 53-40 inside Coffin Gym on Wednesday night. 

The Mariners (8-5, 1-4 SUN) picked up their first conference win of the season and interim Head Coach Corey Harris' first as head coach in a defensive slugfest that saw both teams struggle to score the ball on offense. 

The first quarter was a struggle for both offenses, as neither side shot above 25 percent from the field in the quarter, leading to a single digit lead at the end of the quarter for the Mariners.

Over the first five minutes of the game, the Mariners went on a 7-0 run to open the contest, holding the Mighty Banyan (7-8, 0-4 SUN) scoreless until Sania Thomas made a layup with just 51 seconds left in the quarter. Despite the strong start, CCGA managed just two points for the remainder of the period, as they took a 9-6 lead into the second quarter. 

The second quarter featured much more offense from both sides, as both teams shot 33 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. NCF started the quarter by tying the game at nine a piece with a three pointer before Alli Stone responded with a layup followed by a Peyton Shafer layup to extend the Mariners lead to four. The Mighty Banyan never tied the game in the quarter, getting the score to as low as two, as the Mariners pulled away in the final seconds of the half. Leading by three with 2:40 left in the quarter, Bre Fowler went on a personal 6-2 run to close the half, going 2-2 from the three point line, giving the Mariners a seven point, 25-18, halftime lead. 

Worsley and Fowler both led the Mariners with six points, while Fowler made two of the Mariners three three pointers in the contest. Zybinski and Love led the Mighty Banyan with five each at the break. Both teams struggled from the floor in the half, both shooting under 30 percent for the half. 

While the offense was still slow coming out of the break for the Mariners, the defense stepped up once again, allowing just six points to the Mighty Banyan in the third period on 3-8 shooting from the floor. CCGA scored 13 points in the half, all 13 coming on a 13-0 run to begin the second half. Contributions from the likes of Morgon Webb, Tyler Butler, and Taylor Gardner fueled the run as CCGA shot 6-9 from the field during the stretch. When the run was over at the 5:27 mark, the Mariners were held scoreless for the remainder of the period as CCGA led 38-24 going into the fourth. 

NCF actually outscored the Mariners in the final quarter of the game, but their spurt of offense was too little too late as CCGA had built up to their largest lead of the game at 25 points with 4:13 left in the game. NCF did end the game on a 10-0 run, holding the Mariners scoreless for the final three minutes of the game, but it was too little too late as CCGA picked up their first conference win of the season with a 53-40 win over the Mighty Banyan. 

Fowler led the Mariners with 11 off the bench, the only Mariner to score in double figures. Butler finished with eight, Webb scored seven, and Worsley finished with six. Butler, Shafer, and Worsley all finished with six rebounds in the winning effort. 

As a team the Mariners shot 32 percent from the field and 20 percent from three, while going 7-12 from the free throw line. 

The victory for the Mariners is their first Sun Conference victory since January 13 when they defeated Florida Memorial for their lone conference win of the 2023-24 season. The Mariners will look to keep the momentum rolling as they travel to Miami Gardens, Fla. for a matchup with the Lions of Florida Memorial. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.