The College of Coastal Georgia men's basketball team mounted a furious second-half comeback but came up just short, falling 69-67 to Florida Memorial on Wednesday evening in Miami Gardens, Florida. The loss drops the Mariners to 11-15 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
Jeremiah Camara led Coastal Georgia with 13 points off the bench, going an impressive 6-for-7 from the field. Camara was a force in the paint throughout the game and provided crucial energy during the second-half rally.
Derrick "Mannie" Harris added 12 points, including 10 in the second half as the Mariners mounted their comeback. Harris went 3-for-8 from the field overall but was much more effective after halftime, hitting timely shots and converting 5-of-6 free throws.
Alexandre Zambonetti chipped in 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, while Isaiah Edden scored all eight of his points in the second half, going 3-for-4 from the field including 2-for-3 from three-point range during the comeback attempt.
The Mariners faced a significant deficit early, falling behind 38-23 at halftime. Florida Memorial shot 46.2 percent from the field in the first half and built their lead behind strong performances from Morgan Brewer and Devin Carter, who combined for 22 first-half points.
Coastal Georgia came out with renewed intensity in the second half, dominating the final 20 minutes. The Mariners outscored Florida Memorial 44-31 in the second half, shooting an impressive 68.4 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range.
The comeback was highlighted by a 13-3 run midway through the second half that cut the deficit to single digits. Edden's back-to-back three-pointers helped spark the rally, and timely buckets from Camara and Harris kept the pressure on.
With less than a minute remaining, Coastal Georgia had cut the lead to 67-65 after a Camara dunk. Harris made two free throws with 12 seconds left to bring the Mariners within 69-67, but Florida Memorial held on in the final seconds.
Florida Memorial was led by Brewer, who finished with 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting, and Carter, who added a team-high 22 points. Carter was particularly effective at the free throw line, converting 5-of-8 in the second half to help preserve the lead.
Thaddeus Burns contributed seven points off the bench for the Mariners, while Aamir Mack added six points. Braden Wood filled the stat sheet with four steals despite being held scoreless.
The Mariners shot 58.5 percent from the field for the game but were limited to just 3-for-14 from three-point range (21.4 percent). Coastal Georgia was outrebounded 32-22 and managed just one second-chance point compared to eight for Florida Memorial.
Despite the strong second-half effort that nearly erased a 15-point deficit, the Mariners couldn't complete the comeback. Coastal Georgia will look to build on their second-half performance as they continue conference play.
