Coastal Georgia struggled to find answers against a hot-shooting Southeastern squad Wednesday evening in Brunswick, falling 84-65 to slip to 15-7 overall and 5-5 in conference play.
The Mariners found themselves in an early hole, trailing 24-18 after the first quarter, and watched the deficit balloon to 16 points by halftime as Southeastern took command at 46-30. Coastal Georgia couldn't manage to string together the necessary stops and scores to threaten the visitors' lead.
Maylei Noreika was a bright spot offensively for the Mariners, pouring in a team-high 15 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting performance in just 22 minutes. The guard knocked down 3-of-4 from three-point range, providing one of the few consistent scoring threats for Coastal Georgia throughout the contest.
Paris Miller provided a spark off the bench with 12 points, doing her damage in the paint and showing aggressive play during her 22 minutes. Abby Shepard added 11 points in 36 minutes of work, though she labored through some offensive struggles before finding her touch late. Alli Stone also reached double figures with 11 points, converting all four of her free throw attempts while grabbing eight rebounds in a solid all-around effort.
The Mariners' shooting struggles told much of the story. Coastal Georgia converted just 42.4 percent from the field and a dismal 32 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on only 8-of-25 three-point attempts. The second quarter proved particularly damaging, as the home team shot just 30.8 percent overall and made only one of four attempts from deep while Southeastern extended their advantage.
Coastal Georgia did battle on the glass, matching Southeastern's 28 total rebounds, and showed some grit by generating 15 second-chance points compared to the visitors' eight. The Mariners also created 18 turnovers but could only convert those miscues into 14 points, missing opportunities to chip away at the deficit when chances presented themselves.
Coastal Georgia did show some pride in the fourth quarter, outscoring Southeastern 15-12.
The defeat represents a setback for Coastal Georgia as they navigate a critical stretch of their conference schedule.
