BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Coastal Georgia Mariners dropped a Sun Conference matchup to visiting Florida Memorial 81-69 on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops the Mariners to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while the Lions improved to 8-4 and 4-2 in Sun Conference play.
The game featured eight ties and nine lead changes through the first two quarters, with both teams battling to a 38-38 deadlock at halftime. Florida Memorial shot just 48.1 percent from the field in the opening half while Coastal Georgia struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on only three of their 12 three-point attempts before the break.
The third quarter proved decisive as Florida Memorial used a balanced offensive attack to pull away. The Lions outscored the Mariners 21-14 in the period, shooting 52.6 percent from the floor while holding Coastal Georgia to just 23.8 percent shooting. Sa'mya Stevens came off the bench to score six of her game-high 18 points in the quarter, repeatedly attacking the paint and drawing fouls. By the time the fourth quarter began, Florida Memorial had built a 59-52 advantage.
Coastal Georgia attempted to mount a comeback in the final period behind the long-range shooting of Abby Shepard, who drained four three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone. The Mariners cut the deficit to seven points on multiple occasions, but Florida Memorial consistently had an answer. The Lions connected on 6-of-7 free throws in the fourth quarter to maintain their cushion and put the game away.
Shepard finished with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-11 from three-point range. Maylei Noreika added 11 points while knocking down three triples, and Alli Stone contributed 11 points off the bench. Paris Miller chipped in nine points, five assists, and two steals in the losing effort.
For Florida Memorial, Kalea Rainey led the way with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting while also dishing out five assists. Stevens provided a huge spark off the bench with her 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting performance. Jasmine Worthy recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Dominique Garcia Bla added nine points while playing stellar defense.
The difference in the game came down to shooting efficiency and points in the paint. Florida Memorial shot 50.0 percent from the field compared to Coastal Georgia's 29.2 percent, and the Lions dominated inside with 58 points in the paint to the Mariners' 18. Coastal Georgia did shoot better from the free-throw line (78.3 percent to 72.0 percent) and from three-point range (29.0 percent to 16.7 percent), but it wasn't enough to overcome the disparity in overall field goal percentage.
The Mariners also struggled to protect the basketball, committing 18 turnovers that led to 13 Florida Memorial points. The Lions capitalized on their offensive rebounding advantage as well, grabbing 11 offensive boards compared to Coastal Georgia's seven.
Taylor Blackshear pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Mariners, while also contributing eight points. The bench provided 18 points for Coastal Georgia, with Stone accounting for more than half of that production.
The Mariners will look to bounce back as they continue Sun Conference play in the coming weeks. Despite the loss, Coastal Georgia remains in the middle of the conference standings with opportunities ahead to improve their positioning as the season progresses.
