BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A tale of two halves unfolded Saturday afternoon as Florida Memorial erased a double-digit deficit to hand the Coastal Georgia men's basketball team a 71-64 setback in Sun Conference action. With the loss, the Mariners slip to 7-10 on the season and 2-4 in league play, while the visiting Lions improve to 12-6 overall and 4-2 in conference games.
For 20 minutes, everything clicked for Coastal Georgia. Preston Crisp looked unconscious from long range, burying all four of his first-half three-point attempts on his way to 14 points before the break. The Mariners were clicking on all cylinders from beyond the arc, knocking down half their tries and opening up a 27-15 cushion with just over two minutes left in the opening stanza. When the buzzer sounded to end the first half, Coastal Georgia carried a comfortable 32-25 lead into the locker room.
Adjustments from Florida Memorial during intermission paid immediate dividends. The Lions stormed out with purpose, reeling off a 9-2 spurt that suddenly made it a three-point game. Much of that surge came courtesy of Cameron Noel, who had been largely contained in the first half with only six points but exploded for 16 after the break to finish with a game-high 22.
What followed was a tense, competitive stretch of basketball. The lead changed hands multiple times as neither team could pull away. McArthur's triple pushed the Mariners back in front 44-41 near the midpoint of the half, giving Coastal Georgia a glimmer of hope they might weather the storm.
The bench provided quality minutes, with Kycen Pruett scoring nine and Aamir Mack adding seven points and six boards. Thaddeus Burns facilitated well with four assists but couldn't find his scoring touch, finishing with only five points.
Jeffery Selden was equally impressive for the Lions, posting 17 points and seven rebounds while going 7-for-9 at the stripe. Maximo Moratinos brought energy off the bench with 10 points, highlighted by an emphatic second-half slam. Braxton Lewis and Aa'reyon Munir-Jones each contributed to the winning effort with seven and six points respectively, while Munir-Jones also tallied three steals.
The numbers paint a clear picture of how this one got away. Florida Memorial flipped the script after halftime, shooting better than 54 percent from the floor compared to their dismal 33 percent in the opening period. Meanwhile, Coastal Georgia's perimeter touch vanished when they needed it most—the Mariners connected on just two of 11 three-point tries in the second half after their blistering early pace.
Though the Mariners' bench contributed more scoring than Florida Memorial's reserves (24-15), it couldn't offset the Lions' efficiency when the game was on the line.
Coastal Georgia will need to regroup quickly as conference play continues, looking to find consistency and reverse their fortunes in the Sun Conference standings.
