Mariners Sail by Brenau in SSAC Basketball Action

In a late Southern States Athletic Conference matchup, the Brenau Golden Tigers fell to the Coastal Georgia Mariners by the score of 80-59. The game marked the celebration of the team's graduating seniors, with an emotional ceremony after the game.

The Golden Tigers, starting five seniors, jumped out to a fast start with hot shooting. Senior Sarah Ward (Elberton, Ga.) and Jasmyn Farmer (Lilburn, Ga.) hit early 3-pointers to increase the lead to 19-6. However, a cold shooting slump found the home team down 34-27 at the half.

The second half marked hot shooting from the Mariners, who shot a blistering 75% in the second half, while continued poor shooting from the Golden Tigers helped increase the deficit to 20.

When asked about the game, Coach Kris Stewart noted that, "We just couldn't make enough shots, while Coastal Georgia seemingly couldn't miss. We had high-percentage shots, but when you can't consistently convert, it is tough to beat a team as talented as Coastal Georgia. We started the game well, but we couldn't sustain. Again, I cannot fault our effort."

Coach Stewart also said about Senior Day, "Senior Day is always a bittersweet day. I'm honored to have coached these young women and it is nice to celebrate their careers, but it is sad to see them go. This is a close knit team, so it was a very emotional day for our players."

Brenau was led by senior Gabby Harvey's 14 points. Nikki Reed scored 10 points and pulled down 8 rebounds and fellow senior Raven Crawford chipped in 10 points. Sarah Ward tallied 9 points, while Jasmyn Farmer contributed 7 points.

The Mariners were led by Courtney Saunds' 20 points.

The Golden Tigers face #7 ranked Lee University in a home contest on Monday. Tipoff is at 6 pm.