Golden Tigers Rally Falls Short at Coastal

A furious rally and last second shot came up short as the Brenau basketball team fell to Coastal Georgia 65-64 in Brunswick on Saturday.

In the first half, the Golden Tigers came out on fire, shooting a blistering 52 percent from the field. Sophomore post Nekeia Brown (SO/Danielsville, Ga.) scored 12 points in the first half, while fellow sophomore Briah Woods (SO/Acworth, Ga.) added 10 points to give Brenau a 35-28 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Brenau struggled to find their range as the Mariners used a run to take an eight point lead with just under six minutes to play.

With less than a minute to play, Kalin Williams (JR/Palmetto, Ga.) knocked down one of two foul shots to cut the Mariner lead to 62-57. Coastal knocked down one of two free throws with 25 seconds to play to make the score 64-59. Williams again was fouled and hit two foul shots to cut into the deficit at 64-61. After Coastal hit one free throw to make the score 65-61, Claire Zimmerman (JR/Woodstock, Ga.) hit a three-pointer with four seconds left to make the score 65-64. On the ensuing inbounds, the Brenau defense forced a five second call to regain possession. Off of the inbounds, Autumn Dodson (FR/Jefferson City, Tenn.) missed a jumper to win the game as the Golden Tigers rally fell short.

"We played really nice basketball in the first half," said head coach Kris Stewart. "In the second half we went through a scoring drought, which was the difference in the game. We kept playing hard and competed until the end, which gave us a chance to win. I am very proud of our effort and it will serve us well down the stretch."

Brown led Brenau with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Woods added 15. Kalin Williams added 13 points in the loss.

Kierstan Green led the Mariners with 18.

Brenau (10-11, 5-7 SSAC) next plays host to Middle Georgia College at 5:30 pm on Thursday.