BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Coastal Georgia Mariners fell just short in a heartbreaking Tuesday night contest, dropping a 69-68 decision to Spartanburg Methodist at Coffin Gym. Despite holding a 36-29 halftime advantage and leading for much of the game, the Mariners (6-8, 1-2) were unable to close out the Pioneers (3-10, 1-6) in the final seconds.

CJ Terrell played hero for the visitors, sinking two free throws with just two seconds remaining to give Spartanburg Methodist the one-point victory. Terrell finished with 11 points and was perfect from the charity stripe, going 4-for-4 in the game.

The Mariners came out firing in the first half, building their largest lead of the game at 10 points with 5:09 remaining before the break. Coastal Georgia shot an efficient 40 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes and dominated the paint with 34 points compared to Spartanburg Methodist's 20 for the game. The bench provided a spark as well, with Alexandre Zambonetti scoring seven of his eight points in the first half.

Three players led the Mariners in scoring with 11 points each. Derrick "Mannie" Harris went 3-for-9 from the field and added four free throws while pulling down five rebounds in 31 minutes. Kycean Pruett also scored 11 points but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 3-for-10 from three-point range. Musa Murithi matched their scoring output with 11 points while dishing out four assists.

The second half saw momentum shift back and forth between the two teams. Spartanburg Methodist caught fire from three-point range, connecting on 7-of-15 attempts (46.7 percent) after shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half. Calvin Brown was the catalyst for the comeback, scoring all 13 of his points in the final 20 minutes and going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from deep.

Jeremiah Camara provided a strong presence inside for Coastal Georgia, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points. Khylan McKennie made an impact off the bench with eight points and three rebounds in just 12 minutes of action. Aamir Mack also contributed seven points and six rebounds in 19 minutes as a reserve.

The game featured six lead changes and was tied five times, including at 66-66 with less than a minute remaining. Harris gave the Mariners a 68-66 lead with two free throws at the 19-second mark, but Tavarez Lacey answered with one free throw to cut the deficit to one. After Lacey missed his second attempt, Terrell grabbed the rebound and was fouled with two seconds left, where he calmly knocked down both free throws to complete the comeback.

Coastal Georgia held a slight advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Spartanburg Methodist 40-29, and scored 19 second-chance points compared to just nine for the visitors. However, the Mariners struggled from three-point range, shooting just 24.1 percent (7-for-29) for the game, and converted only 56.5 percent of their free throw opportunities.

The Mariners will look to bounce back when they return to action in January.