Preston Crisp's 3-point field from the left corner before the final buzzer completed a dramatic comeback 91-88 victory for College of Coastal Georgia over the No. 24-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's basketball team on Tuesday night in the Convocation Center.
The Grizzlies (14-5) took an 88-79 lead following a 3-pointer from junior
Jahiem Berry with 3:36 mark remaining.
However, Coastal Georgia (8-9) held GGC scoreless for the remainder of the contest, while the Mariners scored the final 12 points of the contest. The first nine points of the comeback came from Jeremiah Camara and his dunk with 2:34 left brought the visitors within four points of catching the Grizzlies, at 88-84.
Then, Camara converted two free throws under a minute left and made a hook shot from inside the paint near the basket to tie the contest, at 88-88, with 13 seconds remaining in the game.
In the hectic final seconds, GGC senior
Deonte' Martinez missed a go-ahead 15-foot jump shot attempt with five seconds left. Two consecutive timeouts by the Mariners advanced the ball into the frontcourt. That's when Braden Wood's inbound pass found Crisp open in the left corner for the decisive buzzer-beating shot.
The first half featured an offensive run for each team, with the hosts racing out to 15-4 and 17-6 leads during the opening seven minutes. A layup by senior
Ezzy Dawson Jr. gave the Grizzlies another double-digit lead, at 24-13, midway through the opening 20 minutes.
Coastal Georgia then used an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to tie the contest, at 24-24, as Crisp drained a 3-point field goal. The visitors took a 35-28 lead with less than two minutes left in the first half on another 3-pointer, this time by Thaddeus Burns.
GGC battled back to trail 38-36 at halftime. Both offenses found their rhythm during the second half, with the Grizzlies grabbing a 61-57 lead after a 3-point field goal from senior
Anthony Bittar with 12:19 remaining. Coastal Georgia made 63.6 percent of its field goals in the second half, while the Grizzlies' shooting was also dazzling at 60 percent.
Berry scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. He connected on eight 3-pointers for the second straight contest.
Senior
Stephon Martin chipped in 13 points, senior
Drew Kramer scored 12 points and freshman
Mario Hill Jr. came off the bench for 10 points.
Coach's Corner
"I was really proud of the fight we showed in the second half. Our run to take the lead (in the second half) was incredible, but our play in the last three minutes was about as bad as I have seen in a long time. I have a part in that performance as well. Credit Coastal Georgia as they made every necessary play down the stretch as we couldn't get a defensive stop. At the end, we deserved the game's outcome," said Head Coach
Chase Teichmann.
Turning Point
Coastal Georgia closed the contest on an 12-0 offensive run, capped with Preston Crisp's 3-point field goal from the left corner before the final buzzer to record the comeback victory. Jeremiah Camara scored the first nine points of the late rally. The Mariners scored 42 points in the paint near the basket in a contest that featured 13 lead changes and seven ties.
Inside The Numbers
- Coastal Georgia made 53 percent of its field goal attempts, compared to 52.6 percent shooting by GGC
- Junior Jahiem Berry made eight 3-pointers to score a game-high 28 points
- The Mariners held a slight 32-31 rebounding edge
- GGC recorded 17 assists on 30 made field goals on Tuesday
News & Notes
- GGC drops to 14-5 in 2025-26; Coastal Georgia improves to 8-9 this winter
- The Grizzlies are ranked No. 24 in the NAIA Top 25 poll
- The teams split their two meetings this season, with each squad winning on the opposing team's floor
- Georgia Gwinnett College suffered its first home defeat of the season on Tuesday
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Johnson University (Tennessee) during Athletic Hall of Fame Night on Friday, January 16, in the Convocation Center, starting at 7 p.m.
