BRADENTON, Fla. – The Coastal Georgia Mariners put together a complete team effort Wednesday evening, pulling away in the second half to defeat New College of Florida 93-60 at SCF-Bradenton. The victory improved the Mariners to 12-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
After a tightly contested first quarter that ended knotted at 15-15, Coastal Georgia seized control in the second period, outscoring the Seahawks 27-10 to take a commanding 42-25 halftime lead. The Mariners never looked back, extending their advantage throughout the second half and building their largest lead of 35 points late in the fourth quarter.
Niya Moon led the second-quarter surge, pouring in eight of her 16 points during that decisive frame. Moon finished 5-of-10 from the field, including an impressive 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and added an assist while committing just one turnover in 21 minutes off the bench.
The Mariners' bench proved to be a significant difference-maker, outscoring New College's reserves 51-13. Alli Stone contributed 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while Kyla Raven was nearly perfect inside, converting 5-of-6 field goal attempts for 10 points. Iesha Rhodin added nine points, connecting on three of her four attempts from three-point range.
Taylor Blackshear orchestrated the offense brilliantly, dishing out a game-high nine assists to go along with eight points and eight rebounds. Her court vision and playmaking ability kept the Mariners' offense flowing smoothly throughout the contest.
Abby Shepard and Amanda Roach each scored 10 points in the starting lineup, with Shepard going 2-for-9 from three-point territory but making all four of her free throw attempts. The Mariners' starting five combined for 42 points, with the bench unit accounting for more than half the team's total output.
Coastal Georgia's defensive pressure forced 34 turnovers from New College, converting those mistakes into 32 points. The Mariners also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Seahawks 37-25 and scoring 16 second-chance points compared to just five for New College.
The Mariners shot 40 percent from the field (30-of-75) and were particularly effective at the free-throw line, converting 19 of 22 attempts for 86.4 percent. While their three-point shooting was inconsistent at 34.1 percent (14-of-41), Coastal Georgia found plenty of offensive success through ball movement and transition opportunities.
Gwen Tsoukalas led New College with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Tatiana Jackson added 12 points and a game-high seven assists. However, the Seahawks struggled from long range, making just 4-of-20 three-point attempts (20 percent) and couldn't match Coastal Georgia's depth or intensity.
The Mariners will look to build on this momentum as they continue their conference schedule. With balanced scoring, strong bench production, and stifling defensive pressure, Coastal Georgia showed the kind of complete performance that will serve them well moving forward.
