BRUNSWICK, Ga. – After taking an 81-76 lead over College of Coastal Georgia with less than 30 seconds left in the second half, it appeared that Florida Memorial University's men were on their way to capturing their second straight road win.
Instead, the host Mariners knocked down a three; FMU turned over the ball; and Coastal Georgia knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game – in a matter of 28 seconds – and sent the game into overtime, where Coastal Georgia pulled away from the Lions and ultimately defeated Florida Memorial 96-90.
FMU (5-11, 2-5 Sun Conference), which will return to the Sunshine State this week and play another road conference game this coming Thursday (Jan. 16) at Johnson & Wales University, failed again at its attempt to win consecutive games this season and lost its third overtime game. The unfortunate common denominator between FMU's overtime losses is the relinquishing of second-half leads prior to the fall in the extra period.
Coastal Georgia didn't do anything extraordinary against the Lions. Florida Memorial won the rebound battle 39-31, the Mariners only committed one less turnover than FMU (18-19), and Coastal Georgia shot 47 percent from the field compared to the Lions' 45 percent. The game came down a handful of specific plays, including a turnover at the end of regulation that led to the Mariners tying the game with a pair of free throws.
In spite of the loss, Lions senior guard
Jordan Martin turned in one of his best performances of the year Saturday. With his team trailing 76-74 with just under two minutes left in the second half, it was Martin who scored five points – a three-pointer to give Florida Memorial the lead followed by a mid-range jumper – in a 7-0 spurt that gave the Lions the 81-76 lead late.
The 6-foot-5 Atlanta, Georgia native scored a season-high 29 points (10-of-17 from the field) along with team-high nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Junior center
Mubashar Ali finished with 18 points and eight boards,
Quvondo Johnson added 12 points and nine rebounds, and
Kaleb Darrett – who scored a career-high 35 points Thursday against Thomas University – chipped in with 15 points in a game-high 42 minutes of action.
