The Coastal Georgia Mariners came up just short in a heartbreaking 68-67 home loss to Webber International on Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia, as a late rally fell one possession shy.

Trailing 67-66 with eight seconds remaining, the Mariners fouled Webber's Deon Brown, who calmly sank both free throws to give the Warriors a 68-67 advantage. Coastal Georgia had one final chance, but Preston Crisp's three-point attempt at the buzzer missed the mark, sealing the Mariners' fate in a game that featured five ties and four lead changes.

The loss was particularly painful given the Mariners' strong second-half performance. After trailing 35-29 at halftime, Coastal Georgia outscored Webber 38-33 in the final 20 minutes and shot an impressive 53.8 percent from the floor, including 45.5 percent from three-point range. The Mariners briefly took the lead multiple times down the stretch, including a 66-63 advantage after Crisp's three-pointer with 2:38 remaining.

Aamir Mack led the Mariners with a double-double performance, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds while adding two assists and four blocks. Mack was efficient throughout, shooting 7-of-11 from the field despite struggling at the free-throw line, where he made just 3-of-7 attempts. His presence in the paint was crucial as he consistently battled for boards and contested shots on the defensive end.

Crisp added 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. Despite the missed game-winner, Crisp kept the Mariners in the contest throughout the second half with timely baskets, including a three-pointer that gave Coastal Georgia a 59-58 lead with 4:58 remaining.

Derrick "Mannie" Harris contributed eight points on an efficient 3-of-4 shooting performance, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Harris provided crucial spacing for the Mariners' offense and was instrumental in keeping possessions alive with his movement without the ball.

The bench provided solid contributions, led by Jeremiah Camara, Kycen Pruett, and Thaddeus Burns, who each scored six points. Burns hit two critical three-pointers in the second half, including one that cut Webber's lead to 56-53 with 7:18 remaining and another that brought the Mariners within one at 63-63 with 3:24 left. Khylan McKennie added four points, including a pair of free throws with 39 seconds remaining that tied the game at 67-67 and set up the dramatic finish.

The Mariners dominated in the paint, outscoring Webber 32-18 in that area, and capitalized on turnovers to the tune of 20 points off 13 Warriors giveaways. Coastal Georgia also held a slight edge on the glass, pulling down 27 rebounds compared to Webber's 29, with nine offensive boards leading to 13 second-chance points.

However, struggles at the free-throw line proved costly for the Mariners, who made just 6-of-10 attempts (60 percent) compared to Webber's 8-of-12 (66.7 percent). Those missed opportunities at the charity stripe ultimately made the difference in a one-point game.

Webber International was led by Landon Tillman's 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including several crucial baskets in the closing minutes. Deon Brown added 22 points, going 6-of-11 from three-point range, though he cooled off considerably in the second half after a red-hot first 20 minutes where he hit four of his six three-point attempts.

The tough loss drops Coastal Georgia's record to 8-11 overall and 2-5 in conference play as they continue to search for consistency. Despite the defeat, the Mariners showed resilience by battling back from a double-digit first-half deficit and nearly stealing a victory in the closing seconds.