Heartbreak as Coastal Georgia Hits Buzzer-Beater
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virgin Islands (2-9) | 27 | 39 | 66 |
|
Coastal Georgia (6-7) | 39 | 28 | 67 |
BRUNSWICK, Ga. It was an absolute rollercoaster in the last two minutes but when the dust settled, the College of Coastal Georgia nailed the game-winning three as time expired to defeat the University of the Virgin Islands Men's Basketball Team, 67-66, Sunday afternoon.
An impressive sequence (a steal and a layup) from Jaren Johnson with 26 seconds left in the game gave the Buccaneers its first lead since the 17-minute mark in the first half. With 4.2 ticks remaining, UVI had a 66-64 lead but it was not meant to be as Kenny Brown delivered the buzzer-beating three for a Mariners' win.
Two days after scoring a season-high 12 points, Chris Williams outdid himself again with 17 points, which tied the game-high. LiWayne Richardson turned in an impressive 17-rebound, 15-point performance that included four blocks and in his first career start, Eliyah Stevens delivered with a season's best 12-point, 10-rebound game.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final Score: College of Coastal Georgia def. The University of the Virgin Islands, 67-66
Records: UVI Men's 2-8; Coastal Georgia 5-7
Location: Coffin Gym; Brunswick, Ga.
Date: December 12, 2021
GAME NOTES
-
Trailing 64-63 with 26 seconds left, Johnson pickpocketed the ball handler as he crossed halfcourt and then drove for the layup to take the lead. That represented a complete turnaround for the Buccaneers, who had found itself trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half. UVI had trailed for over 26 minutes but kept fighting and chipping away at the deficit.
-
Unfortunately, Coastal Georgia claimed the heroics when Nigel Lawson Jr. kicked the ball ahead to Kenny Brown, who had just enough space to rise relatively uncontested and nail the game-winner for the Mariners.
-
Johnson was also the one responsible for tying the game when he made both his free throws to make it a 63-63 game with under two minutes to play. Johnson drew the foul following a rebound on a Richardson block.
-
A tip-in from a Richardson offensive rebound made it a two-point, 61-59 game with 2:39 remaining. After Coastal Georgia countered with a layup, Williams followed that up with a layup of his own to return the game to a two-point, 63-61 affair.
-
Consecutive jumpers from Williams had closed the gap from 57-50 to 57-54. After a three pushed Coastal Georgia ahead, 61-54, Johnson answered right back with his own three-pointer.
-
UVI climbed back into the game early in the second half with a 9-2 run that turned a 49-37 deficit into a 51-46 game with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
-
It took a while for the Buccaneers to wake up as UVI was trailing 30-12 after 12 minutes of game action. An 11-2 run from UVI put the deficit back under double-digits. Williams scored seven straight points of the run.
STAT FACTS
-
UVI dominated Coastal Georgia in the interior. As a team, UVI outrebounded the Mariners, 53-27. The Buccaneers also had an incredible 44-14 advantage in points in the paint and a 19-5 edge in second-chance points.
-
Richardson was 7-of-10 from the field and had six offensive boards. All four of his blocks came in the final period.
-
Williams shot 7-of-14 and he added seven boards, including four on the offensive end. Stevens had four offensive rebounds.
-
Johnson finished with 12 points (four-of-eight shooting) and seven boards.
-
Coastal Georgia's hero Kenny Brown tied the game-high with 17 points.
UP NEXT
-
The eight-day road trip concludes with a trip up north to Atlanta, Ga. to play Truett McConnell in Cleveland, Ga. on December 15th. Tip-off against the Bears is slated for 5:30 p.m. EST.
